In Venere Veritas
by NeroAnne
Summary: "In love, there is truth." They've been divorced for three years and want nothing to do with each other. They find themselves coming together when their daughter is kidnapped. Mark/Jeff, AU!
1. Chapter 1

_Title: In Venere Veritas_

_Author: NeroAnne_

_Disclaimer: I don't own the following wrestlers. Do I wish? Oh yes. But do I own? Oh no. XD. I own Lucinda Larraine, that's all. The song, "In Venere Veritas" is by HIM._

_Summary: "In love, there is truth." They've been divorced for three years and want nothing to do with each other. They find themselves coming together when their daughter is kidnapped. Mark/Jeff, AU!_

_For: Slashdlite._

_{I.V.V.}_

-_North Carolina-_

He was nineteen when he found out he was pregnant. He married two months later. Seven months after that, she was born. She was only two when the marriage came to an end.

That was three years ago.

She is five, now.

Jeff sat on the dock, smiling as Matt taught Lucinda to swim. He watched her blonde curls touch at the water, her green eyes bright and her little mouth opened wide as her laughter surrounded the lake.

He chuckled softly, resting his chin on his knee. He loved his little girl. She was the most important person in his life.

It really was a shame that his marriage to Mark didn't last.

'_Idiot,' _Jeff thought, frowning as he stared into the water. '_When are you going to learn to stop listening to rumors and to actually trust someone for once?'_

Indeed. Their marriage had ended over a damn rumor.

That hoe-bag that he was dating now was the reason because of it, too. Michelle McCool. Ran her fat mouth and accused Jeff of cheating. She'd even gone so far as to try to let Mark think that Lucinda wasn't his.

She almost did it, too.

Mark actually wanted a paternity test but when Jeff pretty much flipped out on him, he took that thought and burned it.

"Momma!"

Jeff cringed. He really couldn't stand being called that. It wasn't a big deal; really, it just reminded him even more of Mark.

"_**Where's daddy, momma?"**_

"_**Momma, is daddy coming today?"**_

"_**Does daddy love me, momma?"**_

He put on a smile, watching Lucinda paddle over to him, her bright blue floaties helping her with the activity. "Did you see me, mommy? I swim good!"

"You swim _well_," Jeff corrected her. He reached behind him, grabbing her blue towel. He bent down a bit and plucked her out of the water, wrapping her up in the towel.

Lucinda smiled, pressing her lips to Jeff's nose.

Jeff couldn't stop the warmth that spread through him with that simple gesture. He smiled, kissing her cheeks before picking her up in his arms, holding her tight. As her head nestled itself against his shoulder, Matt pushed himself up onto the dock.

"She's better than you are," the older brother teased, accepting the larger towel from his younger brother. He wrapped it around his waist, tucking it into his trunks. They began to walk to the isolated cabin a few blocks away from the lake.

"I'm sure she is," Jeff replied smoothly, winking at his brother. His bun was beginning to fall a bit, so he shook it out, his blonde locks touching his shoulder blades. He'd been thinking about letting it grow past his shoulder for a while…

"How's the book coming along?" Matt asked quietly, just to strike up a conversation.

Jeff hummed. He was a well-known author, working on his fourth book. Most of his stories were dark and disturbing. '_I wonder why_,' he thought sardonically before he turned to his brother, "I'm having a bit of writers block."

"How come?"

When Jeff didn't answer, Matt smiled, swinging an arm around his brother's waist. "Has it got anything to do with the fact that Mark and Michelle are coming over next week to celebrate Damien's birthday?"

Damien was Matt and Phil's son. He was seven, with big brown eyes and curly black hair. He would be turning eight next week.

Even after all the bullshit, Mark and Phil used to be really close friends and Phil had begged Jeff repeatedly to let Mark be invited.

Jeff gave in, but only because Phil was starting to stalk him around…

"I know I shouldn't hold onto the past," Jeff began, making sure that Lucinda was asleep before continuing, "But he was my first, Matt. My first…everything. I didn't know what love was until I met him…" he smiled, "I can still remember it…"

_-Six Years Ago-_

_Jeff was sitting on the bench, his eyes reading over his writing. It had rained a couple of hours earlier, and there were puddles around his feet._

_Out of nowhere, a set of heavy tires glided over one larger puddle, a stream of liquid hitting Jeff right in the face. It fell onto his writing pad, too. Soaking it…ruining it._

_Jeff gasped, his hair planted to his face. He pulled the blonde/blue strands away from his face and looked up. _

_A motorcycle had stopped over at a bench a few feet away from him. It was big…a Harley, it looked like. The man on it wore no helmet, his long black hair blowing in the wind. He pulled off his shades to reveal dark green eyes. _

_Jeff swallowed a bit as he stared at him. He was draped in dark clothing and leather. Black leather pants…Black leather jacket with chains and bolts…and a black tank top underneath. _

_Several other people in motorcycles pulled up behind him, soaking Jeff thoroughly, his white tank top now see-through. His tiny pink nipples jutting out due to the cold water, his baggy pants sticking uncomfortably to his legs._

_Creepy biker guy be damned._

_Jeff growled and stood, shoving his hair behind him. He walked to the group, ignoring the looks of interest. He looked to the biggest man. "Watch where you're driving, dick." He hissed, tossing the messed up writing pad at him._

_It hit his chest before falling limply on the floor. _

_Jeff watched the man's eyes narrow before the lips pulled into an evil smirk. _

"_Sorry, miss."_

_Jeff's cheeks tinged. _

_The rest of the bike crew laughed loudly. _

_Jeff growled, "Do you __**see**__ tits on me?" he pulled up his tank, showing off his flat, pale chest. His toned tummy was covered in goosebumps. He watched the man's eyes roam over his body before he let his shirt down, "I ain't no misses, asshole."_

_As he turned to leave, his wrist was grabbed. The man pulled onto his wrist hard enough for Jeff to stumbled right into his opened lap, his left knee falling onto the seat of the man's bike._

_Jeff opened his eyes slowly, tilting his head up. He flushed hotly, seeing the man's face so close to his._

"…_You've got guts, kid," the man said quietly. _

_A hand reached out and patted his ass, causing Jeff to gasp._

"_It's…enticing."_

_-Now-_

Matt snorted, "Yeah. And it only took you four months to let him pop you."

Jeff sighed, "Then I got pregnant…then he heard stupid shit…now he's eating pussy." He shook his head as Matt snickered.

"Awe, don't worry bro…" They reached the cabin and Matt kissed his brother's cheek. "You've still got Lucinda."

Jeff smiled, holding his daughter tighter. "Mmhmm." He kissed Matt's cheek, "Drive safe, Matt."

Matt snickered, "It's only eight blocks, Jeff."

Jeff winked, "With your driving, that might as well be another state." The brothers parted ways and Jeff fished his keys out of his pocket, opening the door to the log cabin.

He was somewhat of a loner…but it was the perfect ambiance for his work.

He entered the house and made his way upstairs, Lucinda still fast asleep.

_**{I.V.V.}**_

She was silent during dinner, her blue fork dipping into the pasta and bringing it up to her mouth.

Jeff watched her carefully, taking a sip from his cup of orange juice. He set his cup down, "Lucy? Are you alright?"

Lucinda didn't say anything for a few minutes before she looked up. "Momma…?"

"Yes, darlin?"

"Why doesn't daddy live with us no more?"

Jeff closed his eyes. He knew this question would arise soon. She was growing up…and she was getting smarter everyday.

"Sometimes, mommies and daddies need a break, angel. Sometimes, you stop loving someone. You dad…" he frowned at himself.

'_No…don't make him look like the bad guy…she'll resent that.' _

"…We stopped loving each other, baby."

Lucinda pouted. "…I liked you and daddy together."

Jeff swallowed, standing up and picking up their dishes. "I liked it too, honey."

"Momma?"

Jeff turned to her.

"Will you ever stop loving me, momma?" Her green eyes watched him carefully.

Jeff bit his bottom lip and sunk to his knees in front of her. He took her small hands into his, staring deep into her eyes. "You…are the _last_ person that I would ever stop loving."

She blinked.

"Never, baby," Jeff whispered. "I'll never stop loving you."

Later on, as he was tucking Lucinda into bed, she asked him to sing for her.

"What song, honey?"

Lucinda smiled a bit. "…The one you sing to yourself…"

Jeff was taken aback but he quickly recovered, smiling sadly at her. He rubbed her cheek.

"_Let's fall apart together now_

_Zip and keep it in a body bag well warm_

_Next to the mausoleum he was born in_

_Picking up the pieces of this gory glory of it all_

_Bereave to mourn, bereave to mourn"_

Jeff could see her watching him and he swallowed as he got the nerve to sing the next words to her.

"_Have no fear_

_There are wounds that are not meant to heal_

_And they sing, 'In Venere Veritas.'_

_Come inside_

_Let the bother you alive and sing, baby, sing_

_There are wounds that are not meant to heal at all_

'_In Venere Veritas'…"_

Jeff smiled at her and kissed her forehead and cheeks before standing.

"Momma?"

Jeff stopped at her door. He turned his head, "Yes, Lucy?"

"What does In Vine, um…those words you said! What do they mean?" Her eyes caught his.

Jeff forced a smile on his. "…They mean _In Love, There is Truth."_

She watched him for a few seconds before her eyes closed. She pulled her stuffed bear close to her. "Goodnight, momma."

"…Goodnight, Lucinda." He turned off her light, making sure the night-light was on before closing her door.

He found himself lying on the couch downstairs after that. His eyes watched the clock tick away.

He sighed and turned on his side. "…In Venere Veritas…" he snorted. "Not anymore."

_**{I.V.V.}**_

_-A week later-_

Jeff heard the damn bike pull up. He closed his eyes for a few seconds before he put on a smile.

Lucinda was running around with Damien, the both of them playing tag. Several of their schoolmates had come to the party, and they were all trying to tag someone else.

Jeff had been mingling with the other parents before Phil came in, Mark to his right and Michelle to his left.

"**Daddy!**"

Jeff cringed slightly, watching the light of his life run into Mark's arms.

He caught her, picking her up easily and tossing her into the air. He pressed his mouth to her cheek, holding her tight. Michelle smiled timidly at the little girl, patting her leg.

"I missed you, daddy…you were gone long this time," Lucinda whined, her arms locked tight around Mark's neck.

Mark apologized to her quietly before handing her to Michelle. The blonde woman pecked the girl's forehead, "Look at you, you've gotten so big!"

Lucinda smiled at her, "I learned to swim!"

"Wow!" Michelle squealed. "That's great!"

Well, at least she was being kind this time. Five months ago, Mark had come to visit Lucinda and Michelle wanted nothing to do with her

Michelle's eyes sparkled, "I love your dress."

Lucinda beamed, her bright green sundress making her eyes stand out. "Momma bought it for me!"

Jeff stood, showing his hands into his jeans. He walked towards them, face pulled into a fake grin for his daughter. "Michelle." He turned eyes to his ex-husband, his fake grin dropping a bit. "Mark."

"Jeff," Michelle murmured, eyes lowered. "How are you?"

"I'm well and yourself?" he muttered.

"Good…"

Nothing happened for a while. Jeff coughed into his fist, "Enjoy yourselves." He abruptly turned on his heel and walked towards the backyard where Matt was getting the cake set up.

Mark watched him leave. He looked to his daughter, caressing her cheek. "…How's Jeff been?"

Lucinda shrugged her tiny shoulders. "Okay, don't sleep much. Works a lot," her nose scrunched up at his.

Michelle sighed, "Oh, look, the cake is ready." She let Lucinda down, "Go on, honey."

Lucinda hugged her father's leg before running off to the backyard.

"…He's going to be crushed when you tell him about wanting to fight for custody," Michelle told Mark.

Mark closed his eyes. "I know. I need to tell him on my own. Keep Lucy distracted."

She nodded, reaching up to kiss his lips before she hurried into the backyard.

Mark leaned against the wall; all he needed to do now was wait.

It was a long wait...

Jeff finally let Lucinda out of his sight long enough to walk outside the house. Mark followed him and found him staring at the sky, cigarette in his fingers.

"I really hope you're not smoking those shits in front of her." Mark saw Jeff's back stiffen.

"Never," Jeff muttered, "I love her too much to poison her lungs the way you poisoned mine." He turned, glaring at him. "You were gone too long. She isn't stupid, you know, she understand that you're not around."

"There's a reason why I've been gone so long," Mark replied steadily. He sighed, feeling uneasy with what he was about to do. He knew Jeff was a good parent, but it wasn't enough.

Lucy deserved two people to look after her. He and Michelle would be right for it.

"Enlighten me," Jeff brought the cancer stick up to his mouth, inhaling and holding it before he exhaled.

"Talking to my lawyer. I want full custody of Lucinda."

For a moment, Mark didn't think that Jeff heard him. He stepped closer, moving to pull the cigarette out of the younger man's hand.

A hard slap landed on the side of his face.

Mark stared down at him in surprise.

Tears were falling down his cheeks like a river. His body was shaking.

"I'm a good parent," Jeff hissed, trembling, "You can't take her away from me."

"Jeff…"

"No, dammit!" Jeff yelled, grabbing the sides of his head. "You took everything from me! You took my damn innocence!"

Mark stepped closer, his body pinning Jeff to the wall of the house. He glared down at him, "You gave that willingly."

Jeff looked away from him, sobs escaping his throat. "You took my heart…"

Mark slowly reached out to touch Jeff's cheek, frowning slightly as his hand was smacked away. "You also gave that willingly."

"You hurt me. You believed what she…what she…" Jeff bit his lip, "Didn't I…didn't I make you happy, Mark? We were happy…"

"I couldn't stay with someone who betrayed me."

"I never _fucking_ betrayed you!" Jeff cried. "I never fucked anyone but you! You were my first…and you were my last and I _hate_ that…because you don't even believe me when I tell you…that she lies…to get what she wants." He sunk to his knees. "She was after you from the start…and you knew it. But you believed her…and you left us. You left _me_."

"…Momma?"

Jeff struggle to get up. He quickly rubbed his arm over his face, drying his tears. "Lucinda, honey…"

Her eyes were watery. "Daddy, why is momma crying?"

"Go back inside, Lucinda," Mark said quietly. When she made no move to do what he asked, he narrowed his eyes at her. "Do. As. You're. Told."

"Don't you talk to my daughter in such a tone," Jeff said coldly. "We're done talking. You will _never_ take her from me. She's the only thing I love…and you have a lot of things you love."

Mark growled as Jeff walked away to pick up Lucinda, carrying her back into the room.

Fuck.

_**{I.V.V.}**_

_Yeah, she gets kidnapped in the next chapter. _

_What is it with me an mpreg? Ah, well._

_Mark may seem like a dick, but things will get better…_

_Hehe. _

_Love on._


	2. Chapter 2

_Title: In Venere Veritas_

_Author: NeroAnne_

_Disclaimer: I don't own the following wrestlers. Do I wish? Oh yes. But do I own? Oh no. XD. I own Lucinda Larraine, that's all. The song, "In Venere Veritas" is by HIM._

_Summary: "In love, there is truth." They've been divorced for three years and want nothing to do with each other. They find themselves coming together when their daughter is kidnapped. Mark/Jeff, AU!_

_For: Slashdlite._

_{I.V.V.}_

"I'm sleepy, momma…" Lucinda whispered. Her arms were clutching her bear, not wanting to let go. Jeff had gone to the car to get it for her because she had been getting a bit fussy.

All the guests had left some time ago. The only ones left were The Hardy's, Phil, Mark and Michelle.

Matt smiled lightly. "Here, I'll go put her down next to Damien."

Jeff kissed Lucinda's cheeks, "Alright, baby…" the next words he didn't want to say. "Go give your daddy a kiss."

Lucinda hesitated before doing just that. Afterwards, she followed her uncle upstairs.

Jeff, Phil, Michelle and Mark all sat staring at each other.

Mark frowned, "Jeff, we still need to talk about a lot of things."

Jeff snickered, "We talked. You got slapped. I hate you. You're not getting custody of my daughter. End of the fucking story." He brought his cup of coffee to his lips.

Mark felt his lips twitch. '_Still every inch the brat…'_

-_Flashback-_

"_Give in." Mark rasped, large hands pinning Jeff's hips down to the bed. _

"_No," Jeff growled. He jumped when Mark tongued at his hole again. He let loose a low whimper when Mark's tongue gave a rather aggressive stroke._

"_Sooner you agree, the sooner I could have you on your knees and you could be screaming."_

"_No way, I'm winning this time." Jeff whined. He bucked in surprise when Mark added a finger to his pucker, his tongue still wetting the tight hole. "Mmm Nng…"_

"_You'll be so tight…so tight. I haven't fucked you since…" Mark stopped, twitching as the sound bounced off the walls._

_Jeff smiled, hearing the same thing Mark was hearing. He gently pushed his husband away. "Coming, baby!" he quickly pulled on a robe, leaving the room._

_Mark followed him, a robe covering his own body. He walked into the nursery to see Jeff cradling their daughter in his arms. He sighed but couldn't help the grin. "She's so good at getting out attention."_

"_She's got us wrapped around her little finger," Jeff whispered, staring down at the baby. He smirked, walking closer to Mark, "Just like I've got you've got me wrapped up in my fingers." His hand grabbed Mark's hard cock, squeezing it tightly before he by-passed him._

_Mark groaned, thumping his head against the wall. "Such a brat."_

_-Now-_

Mark blinked.

Jeff was staring at him, or more precisely, his cock.

Which was hard.

Jeff sneered, "May want to get Michelle to take care of that for you."

Before Mark could make a smart comeback, Matt came back, smiling gently. "Both of them are asleep." He sat down, "What did I miss?"

Phil grabbed his arm, whispering something in his ear.

Matt frowned, "Why?" and he grunted as he was shoved into the kitchen.

Jeff raised a brow but soon understood when Matt returned to the living room with some glasses and a bottle of alcohol. He rolled his eyes. Typical Phil…wanted to get everyone a bit drunk to get them to loosen up.

No one drank very much. Two shots seemed to be the limit.

Jeff looked at his wrist-watch, sighing. "I really should be leaving…Lucinda doesn't sleep very well in new places for too long." He made sure to glare a Mark when he said this.

Ignoring any protests, he got up and went towards the stairs. He made it to Damien's room and he opened the door.

The hall-light was on, so he could see clearly into the room. He could see Damien, sound asleep with the blanket up to his chin. He could also see the other end of the blanket touching the floor.

But he couldn't see Lucinda.

"Lucy?" Jeff moved to Damien's bathroom, certain that she had gotten up to use it. He opened the door. It was empty.

"…Lucy?" he called a bit louder. He moved around to the other rooms before going back to Damien's room. He sighed and that's when he noticed the window open. Slowly, Jeff moved to Damien's window, looking out it. His heart stopped when he saw Lucinda's bear, two stories below on the ground.

"Lucinda?!" Jeff tore out of the room, rushing down the stairs. He raced past the people in the living room.

"What happened?" Mark stood, following him quickly.

Jeff didn't answer him. He tore open the front door and rushed out to the bear, picking it up. He could see the dirt and the smudges on it…

Jeff looked around the dark, his heart racing. "Lucinda Larraine, you answer me _right now_!"

When she didn't, he knew something was wrong. Lucinda knew better than to not come over to him when he called.

"…Someone kidnapped her," Jeff realized slowly. He heard Mark come up behind him and he turned, eyes watering, "Someone took Lucinda…"

Mark shook his head, "No, what're you-"

"Someone took our _baby!_" Jeff screeched, the tears finally falling. He held the bear close to him, silent sobs racking his body. "The window was open and her bear was out here!" he hiccupped, "She's afraid of the dark…she wouldn't come out here by herself! Someone…_**took**_ her from Damien's bed…and left _**with**_her." It finally seemed to settle inside him and he began to tilt.

Mark rushed forward, catching him easily as he slumped over.

"What the hell is going on?" Matt asked, grabbing Mark's arm.

Michelle and Phil were behind him, their eyes wide in concern.

"…Call the police." Mark murmured, staring down at Jeff. "Lucinda has been kidnapped."

_**{I.V.V}**_

Cena pouted when the donut was stolen from his fingers, "Hey, that one was mine…"

Randy snickered, shoving the food into his mouth, and pointing the half-full box of donuts sitting next to their gearshift. "There's more in the box, man. You need to lay off these things or you'll get fat."

Rolling his eyes as Randy swallowed down his donut, John turned his attention to his radio, which had started up, a woman's voice filling their ears. Both men listened as the woman broadcasted the kidnapping of a five-year old.

"Looks like our shift isn't over yet, bud," John murmured quietly.

Randy straightened up, bringing his two-way to his lips, "Can we have an address?"

Both men jerked in surprise when the requested location was given and John was left to gape as Randy's hands clenched the steering wheel. The woman continued, telling them that the kidnapped victim was a little girl.

"…That's the place Matt Hardy lives in, isn't it? Today was Damien's birthday." Randy whispered.

"That's the place," John confirmed, "but if Phil and Matt's son Damien wasn't the one kidnapped…that means that…"

"Lucinda," both men breathed in unison as the dispatcher gave them the name of the parents.

Randy pulled out of the parking lot and started up the sirens, speeding to the house.

John swallowed thickly, his stomach churning.

Jeff was probably going insane…

_**{I.V.V.}**_

He woke up to bright green eyes looking down at him. Eyes wet with tears, trailing black mascara down tanned cheeks.

"Shannon," Jeff whispered weakly, his hopes dying, "T-tell me I dreamt it…" his fingers stroked over Lucy's bear.

Shannon bit his bottom lip and meekly shook his head, watching as Jeff shrunk into himself. He'd gotten word from Matt and driven over from Charlotte to come to his best friend's side. Slowly, Shannon moved to put a hand on Jeff's shoulder.

"My baby…" Jeff whispered brokenly. "She's gone. They took her, Shanny. They took my little girl…"

Shannon pulled Jeff into a tight hug, curling in with him. "She'll be fine, Jeff. We'll get her back…police are on their way."

"A child is killed sometimes an hour after they're kidnapped," Jeff whimpered, curling closer to Shannon. "She could be…" he trailed off, his eyes misting over and his choked sobs piercing Shannon's heart.

"Oh, Jeff…" Shannon went silent as someone else entered the room. He frowned at the larger man, giving him a clear look of disdain. "Piss off, man."

Mark gave him an apathetic glance. He'd always hated the little shit Jeff chose to call his best friend. He moved his eyes to his ex-husband, taking note of the way his arms were wrapped tightly around their daughter's bear.

"Come," he said softly, seeing Jeff's head lift to meet his gaze. He felt a tug on his heartstrings at the look of hopelessness in those green eyes, "The police are here."

Shannon helped Jeff up, wrapping an arm around the taller man's waist and helping him out of the room, downstairs and to the living room. Matt was leaning against the wall, looking solemn. Phil was sitting on the couch, holding Damien tightly to his chest, his brown eyes wide and glistened.

Damien was trying to get away from Phil, not knowing why he was being squeezed so hard. "I can't breathe!" he whined. His black hair was matted against his forehead, pajamas all ruffled.

Michelle was sitting on a chair, her brown eyes dull and lifeless. She looked up as Jeff came into the living room and she got up, moving to hug him. "Oh, Jeff, I'm so sorry…" her arms wrapped around him.

Jeff shifted uncomfortably in her embrace but didn't push her away. He didn't feel anything but sadness and sorrow and he let her finish her hug before he moved to the couch next to Phil, staring at the floor.

Phil watched him silently, letting his hold on Damien loosen slightly. "Jeff…" he ran a hand through the blonde locks of his close friend. "Damien was completely knocked out. He didn't see a thing…"

Damien pouted, "What are we talking about?" and then, as if he knew, be began to look around, "Hey, where's Lucy?"

Jeff pressed his face against the bear, trying hard not to scream aloud. He didn't want to frighten his nephew.

"Jeff."

He looked up, seeing blue eyes staring down at him. He sniffed, standing up and shaking hands with John. "Cena…" he didn't protest as the bigger man pulled him into an embrace. He cried silently on the man's shoulder, his arms slowly wrapped around John's shoulders. "Please…find her?"

"Randy and I will do everything in out power to find her alive," John promised. Jeff was his friend and his daughter was the sweetheart of North Carolina. Everyone knew about the author and the extremely close connection with his daughter. She'd actually been photographed with Jeff in one of his books, _Closure_.

"We're going to be gathering up a search party," Randy started gently, not wanting to overwhelm the parent, "but we're-"

"Not going to do it till the 24-hour marking period." A woman said, entering the house. She had on a suit, her face a mask of apathy. Her curly brown hair framed around her face.

She looked over at Michelle and Mark, raising an eyebrow. "You're the parents?"

Jeff stiffened in Cena's arms. He pulled away from him, his eyes dark. "No. _I'm_ the parent." He could see the look on the woman's face and all he wanted to do was smack it the fuck off.

"You're her father?" she asked calmly.

Jeff glared at her and began to unbutton his shirt. He held it open, showing the woman the scar running along his lower abdomen. "No. I'm her mother."

The woman looked a bit startled but she recovered quickly. "Very well," She sat down without being told to and began to fire random questions. "What's the child's full name?"

"Lucinda Larraine Calaway-Hardy," Jeff answered, "but she goes by Lucy also."

"Age?"

"She's five."

"Height and weight?"

"3'6…and she's 35 pounds." Jeff was irritated. Stupid questions like this got them nowhere.

"Eye color, hair color, skin color and so on." The woman was writing the details down on a notepad.

"Green, blonde, pale. She was wearing a baby blue anklet on her right ankle and a green sundress." Jeff whispered, watching her write things down. "…A child could be dead in 24 hours," he muttered, "does the fucking system really have to wait so long?"

"We need to make sure the child didn't just run-away from an unhappy home." The woman said coldly.

"She's _five_, lady. She's afraid of the dark and she knows better than to leave without telling me." Jeff hissed.

The woman sighed, "Perhaps she wanted to find her father."

"Impossible," Jeff said simply. "Her father is there," he turned his head in Mark's direction. He frowned, "You've not answered a single question. Do you truly not know any of the information about your own daughter?"

Mark said nothing. His eyes were actually still resting on the scar on Jeff's alabaster skin.

_-Flashback-_

"_Got my stitches removed," Jeff said, coming up behind Mark and wrapping his long arms around the bigger man's shoulders. He looked down, smiling as he noticed the baby girl on his husbands lap, cooing up at him._

_Mark looked up from his place on the chair as Jeff moved to his line of vision. He looked at the scar, smiling softly. "Will the scar remain?"_

"_Uh huh, it's permanent." Jeff said, his lips tilting upwards as Lucinda looked up at him. "Hello, my baby," he whispered, bending down to drop a kiss onto the girl's forehead. She was growing up so fast._

"…_Momma?"_

_Jeff and Mark both blinked, staring into replica green eyes. _

_Those green eyes blinked up at them curiously. _

_Mark snickered, "Her first word was momma! I have to go put that in my book." He kissed his daughter and handed her to Jeff, who was still dumbfounded, "and she was talking to you, too."_

"_She was not," Jeff protested as he took the baby into his arms._

"_Momma." Lucy said again before her tiny arms wrapped around Jeff's face, pulling him down for an open-mouthed baby kiss._

_Mark felt himself melt at the picture and he watched them with a soft look in his eyes. _

_-End Flashback-_

Jeff frowned, noticing that Mark's attention was miles away. He shook his head, turning back to the woman.

"Listen, Layla, we've got everything under control here…" John began awkwardly, "Why don't you just go."

"It's my job to get a clear picture of the child, Cena," Layla said coldly. "I need to know every single detail about her."

"Well I'm sure neither of the parents are in the right state of mind to deal with your shitty attitude, so you really need to go before I make you go, you've only been doing this job for a month. You're not qualified to do this." Randy growled.

Jeff twitched. They sent some newbie to help look for his baby? Feeling even more depressed, Jeff stood, walking out of the house.

Everyone watched him go, frowns on their faces. They heard the car start up a few seconds later.

"He's hurting bad," Michelle finally whispered.

"No shit, woman," Shannon snapped, "his whole life has just been taken from him, _again_."

"…Again?" Mark questioned.

Shannon smirked darkly, "Oh yeah. You used to be his whole life right along with Lucy. Only, you know, Anorexic Barbie over there warped your mind and pretty much managed to convince you to leave him. He was so fucked after that. The only thing that kept his going was Lucinda…" Shannon's green eyes lowered, "…and now his already fragile heart is breaking all over again."

_**{I.V.V.}**_

She didn't know where she was.

"Momma…?" she whispered into the darkness, her small voice shaking. She couldn't see a thing and the place she was in smelled funny. "M-momma…?" she called again, a bit louder.

A bright light was suddenly turned on, causing her to shield her eyes away from it. She squinted, trying to get used to the light.

"She's very pretty…isn't she?"

"She is."

"Hardy must be running around crazy looking for her."

"Hm…"

Once she was finally able to see, Lucy stared up at the two imposing figures. She let out a muffled whine and crawled backwards, her back touching the wall. The men were very big, like her daddy. They were scarier…

"I want my momma…" Lucy whispered, her eyes wet with tears. "Can you take me to my momma?"

One of the men shifted slightly, his face breaking. He looked to his partner, who glared at him.

"Don't fucking weaken out on me, Heidenreich. You know why you're doing this and you know why I'm doing this."

"But Kane…"

"Shut up."

Lucy jumped as the scarier man came closer. She closed her eyes tightly.

Something was placed in front of her, and then the men left the room, making sure the lights stayed on.

Lucy opened her eyes, seeing a candy bar and a small carton of milk before her.

She closed her eyes again, feeling the tears slip down her cheeks.

She wanted to go home.

_**{I.V.V.}**_

Jeff stared at the lake, either unaware of uncaring that the sun was quickly coming up. How long had he been here already? In this same spot. Seconds, minutes, hours…? Too long in his opinion. With every second that ticked by, his poor baby was growing more and more afraid.

He heard footsteps behind him, but he all he did was clench the bear tighter to his chest. Even without looking, he knew who it was.

He felt the man sit down next to him and he shook his head, eyes closing. "Please, Mark…I don't want to talk."

Jeff's eyes opened as Mark's arm went around his shoulder, pulling him into an embrace. He would have fought back immediately but he was so emotionally drained…and so afraid for their daughter, that he leaned against the bigger man, sighing softly.

"Forget about what I said earlier," Mark whispered. "It was out of line. I should have talked to you about it in a different manner."

"How do I know it wasn't you?" Jeff whispered back. "How do I know that you didn't want her so badly that you'd just take her from me?"

"I'd never do that to you. It'd cause you too much pain."

Jeff smiled sardonically, "Didn't stop you before."

There was silence.

"This isn't about us anymore," Jeff continued softly, "this is about something bigger than us." His voice began to break, "this is about our baby. We need to stop fighting with each other. At least for now. I can't bear it anymore…" he could feel the tears sliding down his cheeks and landing on Mark's shirt, "I want her back…"

"We'll get her back, Jeff. I promise." Mark placed a kiss on Jeff's temple, holding him tightly.

_**{I.V.V.}**_

_I miss Heidenreich so much. -_-_

_XD! BUT…I love him as a villain!_

_Love on!_


	3. Chapter 3

_Title: In Venere Veritas_

_Author: NeroAnne_

_Disclaimer: I don't own the following wrestlers. Do I wish? Oh yes. But do I own? Oh no. XD. I own Lucinda Larraine, that's all. The song, "In Venere Veritas" is by HIM._

_Summary: "In love, there is truth." They've been divorced for three years and want nothing to do with each other. They find themselves coming together when their daughter is kidnapped. Mark/Jeff, AU!_

_For: Slashdlite._

_{I.V.V.}_

Jeff tried to shift over a couple of times before giving up, his eyes opening. He wanted to know just what the hell was preventing him from moving. He gasped softly, his body going rigid.

He was in his home…on the couch…

And on top of Mark, whose strong and heavily tattooed arms were wrapped tightly around his slim shoulders.

Jeff didn't know whether to cry or scream. He settled for trying to move out of the embrace again and after a good few minutes of struggling, was finally able to get up and back away from the sleeping man.

He shook his head and went upstairs, to his daughter's room. He opened the door, staring into the adorable room. The walls, bed sheets and pillows were all blue...Lucy's favorite color. Lucy liked butterflies…she had several of them painted onto her walls.

"_You paint pretty, momma! Do butterflies on my walls!"_

Jeff felt his eyes watering. He moved over to Lucy's bookshelf, gently tracing his fingers over the books.

_The Giving Tree…Green Eggs and Ham…The Chronicles of Narnia…Horton Hears a Who!…Where the Wild Things Are…Charlie and the Chocolate Factory…_and her favorite…

"The Very Hungry Caterpillar…" Jeff whispered softly, staring at the book. He had just begun to read it to her for the tenth time. He choked back a whimper and quickly turned away, leaving her room.

He covered his mouth with his palm, trying to stifle his sobs. He dragged himself to his own room, slipping off his clothes as he went. He pulled himself into the shower and turned on the water.

The scalding liquid slid down his body, encasing him in burning warmth.

Jeff stared blankly at the tiles, his forehead against them. He dragged his fingertips down the smooth surface, his eyes closing.

_-Three Years Ago-_

"_The divorce will be final once you sign here, Mr. Hardy."_

_Jeff stared at the pen being offered before looking away, his shoulders quaking._

"_Sign the fucking thing." The deep voice growled next to him._

_He turned his eyes to his…soon to be ex-husband. Mark looked so apathetic if not a bit angry. Jeff felt tears come to his eyes. What the hell had he done to deserve this?_

"_You still haven't told me why," Jeff whispered, reaching a hand out to Mark's shoulder. He winced as his hand was shoved off._

"_You __**know**__ why. Everyone knows why. You betrayed me…you fucked around with my crew."_

_Jeff stared at him sadly, the shock in his body not quite reaching his eyes. "Listen to what you're saying," he breathed softly, "I've never been alone with any member of your crew but Kane and he's your brother! It isn't my fault that he lusted after me…I've always been the one waiting up for you in the middle of the night, exhausted after watching our daughter and trying to work on my novels. When would I have the time to possibly cheat on you?"_

"_Michelle says she saw you…and she knows better than to lie to me." Mark said coldly, not facing Jeff._

"_That woman is a demon," Jeff whispered, still trying to get his husband to face him, "She's always hated me for having you…you know this."_

"_I know nothing of you anymore. How do I even know Lucinda is mine?"_

_Jeff inhaled a shuddering breath before he stood._

"_How dare you? How fucking __**dare**__ you?! Have you looked at her? Into her eyes, __**your**__ eyes, Mark! The exact same shade...and have you seen the nose? Have you seen the forehead? All she has of me is the mouth and the hair, Mark! Everything else on her is __**yours**__**!**__" _

_Jeff, now outright sobbing, grabbed the pen and scrawled his name messily onto the paper. "Doubt me all you want…but if you allow our daughter to grow up without a father…I won't __rest__ until I'm sure your life is nothing more than a pathetic waste of existence." He tossed the pen at Mark and stormed out of the room, ignoring the lawyer's protests. _

_-Now-_

Jeff finished his shower and got out, wrapping a towel tightly around his body. He walked out, his feet padding wetly against the hard wood floors. He flopped down onto his bed as soon as he saw it, not concerned with the water dripping off his body to land on the bed.

'_This isn't the time to be thinking of that,' _he chastised himself, '_you both agreed to not fight…for the sake of Lucy…'_

It didn't mean that the pain of remembering would completely go away, though…

And that pain, added to the pain of having his precious baby ripped away from him, was enough to make him curl up into a ball and scream. He screamed and screamed and screamed.

Finally spent, he whispered a silent prayer for his little girl…and then…

"...Have no fear…t-there are wounds…t-that are n-not meant t-t-to heal and they s-sing…" Jeff sang quietly, fingers curling into his pillows. He didn't want to finish the rest.

He couldn't finish the rest.

Not when he didn't believe those words anymore.

In Love, There is Truth…?

"In love," Jeff murmured, "there is trust." His eyes closed for good and he fell into a restless sleep.

_**{I.V.V.}**_

"_Come play with me, momma! I'm dancing with the butterflies!" Lucinda's smile was as radiant as the sun as she spun and twirled, a dozen butterflies flying around her, the gorgeous picture engraving itself into Jeff's mind._

"Jeff…"

"No," Jeff whispered, eyes tightly closed, "don't take me away from her just yet…"

"Jeffrey…"

Emerald eyes slowly opened. Jeff sighed softly, seeing Mark above him. He moved a hand up to his tousled hair, feeling it completely dry. How long had he been asleep? He hummed lightly, thinking of his dream.

"What is it, Mark?" Jeff asked. He suddenly remembered that besides the towel wrapped loosely around his body, he was naked. He sat up quickly, grabbing the towel as it slipped down his body, revealing sharp hip dents.

Mark shook his head but looked away. "It's nothing I haven't seen before."

Jeff narrowed his eyes, "It's nothing you never _will_ see again." He quickly went into his closet, tugging on a pair of jeans, not realizing that he'd forgotten underwear. He pulled a white tank top on just as quickly and sat down on the bed, cringing as the denim material rubbed against his cock. "Gah…"

Mark smirked, "Forget about what goes on before the pants?"

"Bite me." Jeff muttered as he pulled his shoes onto his feet. He stood, pulling his hair into a bun and leaving the room, making his way downstairs with Mark closely following. "Are you going to tell me why you pulled me out of my dream?"

"We have visitors," Mark said simply as he gestured towards the living room.

Jeff turned, his eyes widening a bit. "Oh…"

Several pairs of eyes stared at him.

"Mr. Hardy? My name is Paul Wight." one of the men stepped up. He was a big man, bald and gentle looking eyes. He coughed into his fist and continued to speak, "We believe we have a way of finding you daughter at a much quicker pace than how it's going now."

How the hell did they find out already? Jeff figured it was either paparazzi or John and Randy spreading the word.

"What did you have in mind?" Jeff asked softly. He didn't care what he'd have to do. All he wanted was his daughter back. Safe…and sound.

"We'd like for you to make a televised report about the situation."

Jeff tilted his head slowly. "…You…want me to make a national plea for my daughter's safe return?"

"Yes, exactly," Paul turned to Mark, who was watching them with his arms crossed. "Both of you."

Jeff turned, meeting Mark's eyes. He sighed softly and turned back to Paul. "When and where?"

Paul smiled kindly.

_**{I.V.V.}**_

_-Two Days Later-_

Jeff was staring at wall, his eyes wet and red, chain-smoking heavily. The black silk shirt made his skin seem almost sickly pale and it really brought out bags underneath his eyes. His baggy pants slid down his hips slightly, even with a dark blue belt wrapped around the loops.

"Jeff, stop it…" Phil tried to take the cigarette away from Jeff and sighed when the other man merely moved his hand, his red-rimmed eyes still staring at the wall. Phil turned to Shannon and Matt who were both frowning sadly.

Shannon's husband, Chris Irvine, was stroking Shannon's black-tipped hair. His blue eyes were watching Jeff, a slight look of pity in his eyes that he was trying hard to cover up.

John and Randy couldn't be there, but they sent their love.

"What's wrong with Uncle Jeffy?" Damien whispered into his father's ear. Matt merely kissed his son's forehead, holding him tightly.

Jeff winced at the sign of affection.

Three days…three nights…since he'd held his baby in his arms. Three days, three nights, since he'd kissed her pretty face. Three days, three nights, since he'd heard her sweet giggles and precious voice.

Three days…three nights…since he'd heard: _I love you, Momma._

"Oh, honey," Michelle whispered softly, "I'm sure she's alright…" She was a smart woman; Mark knew this well seeing as she was one of the only females in his crew, but the next thing that came out of her glossed mouth was the dumbest thing he'd ever heard her say.

"I'm sure she's still alive."

The cigarette fell from Jeff's fingertips. His eyes remained on the wall. Slowly, he turned his head to Michelle and without a word, stood, and walked to the bathroom, locking himself in.

Mark stood also, gripped Michelle's wrist and leading her away from the dirty looks she was receiving. He found an isolated area in the studio and pushed her up against the wall, "What the hell was that?"

"I'm sorry, I wasn't thinking," Michelle quickly apologized. She sighed, dropping her head onto Mark's shoulder. "I'm sorry, baby…I just feel so bad. She was such an adorable little girl," her brown eyes watered, "and she was going to be ours."

Mark shifted uncomfortably at this. "About that, Michelle…" he eased her back so that he was staring into her face. "I completely jumped the fucking gun on that decision. When I told Jeff, he fell apart at my feet. I don't think we should file for custody…"

Michelle stared at him, brown eyes reflecting her hurt. "But…but you know I can't have children. She was going to be yours and _mine_." Her arms crossed and she pouted childishly, "I really want her, Mark."

"Too fucking bad, bitch."

Michelle jumped as Mark turned, seeing Jeff was being tugged into their direction by Shannon, whose green eyes were fiery.

"Lucinda belongs to Jeff," Shannon spat, pointing his finger at Michelle, "I'll make sure you'll _never_ get custody of her."

"What could you do, you little half-pint?" Michelle hissed, coming to step in front of Shannon, towering over him a bit.

"My husband is a lawyer, slut-face," Shannon growled back, standing on his tip-toes. "If you even try to take custody of my god-daughter, I'll have your mannish looking ass sued left and fucking right and you can't get your big bad boyfriend over there to do anything about it."

"Shanny," Jeff gripped his best friend shoulder, his eyes tired, "Please…I just want to get this over with and get some sleep…without a nightmare of Lucy being hurt."

Shannon turned to his best friend, smiling sadly. "Alright, I'm sorry, come on." He turned to Mark, giving him a once over, scrunching up his nose at the leather pants and tight black tank top. "…They're ready for you both to talk."

Jeff sucked in a deep breath and walked closer to the set. Shannon grabbed his shoulder and Matt walked up to the both of them. Jeff smiled softly as his brother and his best friend. "In Venere Veritas…" he said softly.

"In Love, there is Truth," Matt and Shannon both repeated gently.

_**{I.V.V.}**_

"The poor dear…" Heidenreich murmured, staring at the television. His eyes were set on Jeff, whose disheveled appearance was enough to make him regret what he had done. Lucinda was asleep in his arms.

Over the past two days, she'd been told that they were going to do no harm to her and she was slowly getting used to being around them. She was a lot more wary of Kane, though. It was almost as if she sensed it…

Kane kept his eyes on Jeff. God, he'd forgotten. Even with his sorrowful and tired look, Jeff was still as gorgeous as he'd been five years ago when he was nineteen…

_-Five Years Ago-_

_He was shy back then, hiding behind his older brother, the leader of the crew. The crew was riding their bikes to an unknown location, Mark refusing to let them know anything._

_He glanced to his left, seeing Gangrel speed up on his bike. To his right, Palumbo was doing the same thing, both trying to catch up to Mark, or as was known in the crew, Taker, to ask him where they were going._

_Behind them, Raven and Kevin were driving at easy speeds while the only females in the group, Ariel and Michelle, were driving the slowest._

_Kane watched Taker pull into a house and he blinked as he slowed down, killing the bike once he was close enough. He looked up at the house and walked up to his brother, who was waiting on his bike, a dark smirk on his face. "Taker, what are we doing here?"_

"_You'll see…" was all the older man said. _

_Raven and Gangrel glanced at each other before Raven's eyes widened. "…Is this where that twink who got ballsy with you lives?! Are we gonna kill him?"_

_Taker turned dark eyes to Raven, who wisely shut his mouth. "You touch him, you die."_

_Kane blinked in surprise. He'd never seen his brother verbally attack one of his own…_

_The door to the house opened and the same kid who had tossed a notepad at Mark a couple weeks earlier at the park stepped out, his hands on his hips._

"_What the hell are you doing here?" he hissed, stepping up to Mark, "You know how my dad is, you're lucky you got this close without a bullet up your ass already."_

_Mark rolled his eyes at this and grabbed the collar of the boy's tight tank top. "Shut the fuck up." What he did next surprised them all._

_He pulled the kid into his embrace and completely possessed his mouth. He made sure to suck the air completely out of the kid's body before he pulled away, letting him breath. _

_Kane could see the bright blush on the kid's face and he found himself looking over the boy's body. He was very beautiful…with shoulder-length blonde locks tinged a light blue color and amazing emerald eyes. His skin was pale and his arms long and thin. The baggy jeans he wore slipped down to reveal sharp hip dents and the strings of a dark purple thong. His legs went on for days, encased in heavy black boots._

_Kane was horrified to find out that he was hard. He'd only ever seen the boy once…how did he affect him so much already?_

"_This is Jeff," Taker introduced, his hand possessively resting on Jeff's hip. "And he's my bitch."_

_Jeff snorted, his head turned, "Yeah, you fucking wish." He looked to Kane, smiling gently at him, "I'm his boyfriend."_

_Kane swallowed thickly, feeling a harsh pull at his chest. _

_Several months after that day, Taker told him that Jeff was pregnant and that they were engaged. Two months after their engagement, they married and seven months later, Lucinda Larraine was born. _

_It was two weeks after her second birthday that the falling out began. He'd made the mistake of being caught alone with Jeff and he figured out that it was more than he could handle. _

"_What are you doing?!" Jeff growled as he was shoved against the wall. He tried to turn his head as Kane lowered his head for a kiss. Jeff reached up, his fist catching Kane in the cheek. _

_Of course, Michelle just happened to see it…and she ran her mouth to Mark. After fighting for what seemed like days, Kane finally got fed up and left town. He heard through Palumbo that a while later, Mark filed for divorce._

_Apparently, Michelle hadn't seen that he was the one who forced Jeff into an embrace…_

_-Now-_

Kane jerked back to reality once the reporter turned to Mark and Jeff.

"_How do you feel knowing that your daughter could be hurt?" she asked, like a bitch._

_Jeff gave her a dark look. "How do you think it fucking feels? It feels like you're being torn in half over and over again."_

_The woman quickly apologized and allowed Jeff to speak. _

"_Please," he began in a quiet tone, his eyes tearing, "please just bring her home. Bring her back to me. She needs me...but I need her so much more. If you're watching…and you have her, please don't hurt her. She's fragile and she means the world to me…"_

Kane cringed violently when Jeff's small, pale hand covered Mark's. Mark looked over at him in surprise.

"_She means the world…to us," Jeff continued, staring up into Mark's eyes. _

_Mark's eyes softened. He ran his thumb over Jeff's small hand and looked into the camera. "Just know this," he rasped, "we will never stop looking for our little girl. Heaven help you, whoever you are, if she's hurt in anyway. I promise you I will show you no mercy."_

_The woman smiled at them, "Now, you two are divorced?"_

"_We are," Jeff said, not slipping his hand away from Mark's. _

"_Why did you get divorced with a daughter so young?"_

"…" _Jeff shifted uncomfortably and Mark glared at the woman._

"_What does this have to do with Lucinda?" he asked in a low voice._

_The man sitting next to the woman smiled weakly. "Your readers," he said to Jeff, "are very curious about your life. You're a very private man."_

Heidenreich blinked and looked down at Lucinda. She was waking up…

"_Mark and I divorced over irreconcilable differences," Jeff said quietly. _

"_How did Lucinda take it?"_

"_She's a brave little girl…if she was feeling pain over it, she never made it known. She's only five but she's so strong." _

"_You two seem to be pretty close now, though…"_

"_Don't let the picture fool you," Jeff said quietly, "Mark and I are only concerned for the daughter we both brought into this world. Before this happened, we never spoke for more than a few minutes…but now, we need each other."_

"_Is there any chance that you'll ever get back together?"_

Kane clenched his fists, watching as Jeff's head slowly turned to Mark's.

"…" _Jeff refused to answer. Instead, he pulled his glass of water to his lips, taking a sip. _

"It's my momma and my daddy!"

Kane looked down at Lucy. Her pretty green eyes were wide, staring at the tv.

"_Lucy, if you're watching darling, your momma and I love you. We will never stop looking for you, sweetheart." Mark said gently._

Lucy's eyes filled with tears and she covered her face, crying softly into her hands. "I l-love y-you too!"

Heidenreich quickly tried to console the little girl.

Kane sighed, shaking his head. "I'm going to see them tomorrow."

"Do you think that's wise?"

"They won't suspect a thing…I'll make sure of it." Kane stood, leaving Heidenreich to deal with Lucy's tears.

_**{I.V.V.}**_

_And zee plot thickens! XD!_

_I'll reveal about Heidenreich in the next chapter!_

_Love how well this is going! Everyone seems to like it, XD! Yay!  
_

_Love on!_


	4. Chapter 4

_Title: In Venere Veritas_

_Author: NeroAnne_

_Disclaimer: I don't own the following wrestlers. Do I wish? Oh yes. But do I own? Oh no. XD. I own Lucinda Larraine, that's all. The song, "In Venere Veritas" is by HIM._

_Summary: "In love, there is truth." They've been divorced for three years and want nothing to do with each other. They find themselves coming together when their daughter is kidnapped. Mark/Jeff, AU!_

_For: Slashdlite._

_{I.V.V.}_

-_The Next Day-_

Jeff stared at his laptop, resting his chin on his palm, his elbow propped up against the desk. The letters were blurring together, making it hard to him to see or concentrate. He sighed in aggravation, running his hands through his blonde hair before he skimmed his eyes over the words he'd typed.

_Judith held her baby close to her chest, trying to still her breathing as the footsteps echoed throughout the room. She pressed her back against the wall behind her, looking through the small opening from inside the closet. _

_The stranger's silhouette crawled along the walls, the shadows dancing in the dim light. His footsteps began to get louder as he came closer into the room. _

_The baby in Judith's arms let loose a low coo and Judith tried to shush him quickly. If the man found her, she knew she would suffer the same fate her beloved husband had._

_She could see an Opera styled max covering the strangers face from the nose up. He was breathing slowly, moving his head around in every direction as slow as possible…waiting to catch a noise._

_The baby suddenly let loose a loud wail, the cry piercing the once silent room._

_Judith whimpered to her baby, her eyes growing in fear as the stranger looked in the closet's direction. She couldn't contain her gasp of fear as he came closer…_

_The Blood-Glass Murderer chuckled as he reached the closet. His hand slowly curled around the edge of the closet door and he merely caressed it for a few seconds…before…_

…

_Her bright green eyes caught the sun, making them glow beautifully. Her wide smile made everyone in the room warm at first glance. _

"_Momma! Look what I found!"_

_In Lucinda's small little arms, lay a kitten, barely a week old. _

_She'd always loved animals, that dear girl, and she…_

Jeff slammed his head down onto his keyboard, his teeth gritted. He couldn't concentrate on his book. All he kept thinking about was his daughter. It had been four days now…too long.

He felt hands land on his shoulders and he jumped, his knees hitting the bottom of the work desk. He looked behind him quickly and exhaled loudly when he saw who it was. "Mark, you need to stop doing that. It's getting ri-goddamn-diculous."

"Sorry." Mark pulled Jeff out of his chair, leading him to the dining room. "Your brother has set the table, time for dinner."

"I'm not hungry," Jeff murmured, trying to pull his wrist out of Mark's strong grip. He squeaked lightly when he found himself pressed against the wall of his room. Mark had one of his wrists trapped against the wall near his head, the other was held down hear his hip, the larger body pressing him up against the wall.

"You've barely eaten a thing the past four days," Mark said quietly, but seriously. "All you've done is sleep, cry, smoke, and sleep some more. You're eating."

Jeff looked away, trying to pull away, "Please let go," he whispered, his voice barely audible.

This wasn't good. This was memories…

Mark raised a brow, "What?" he blinked when Jeff began to squirm, lowering his eyes to watch Jeff's cheeks flush. "What the fuck is wrong with you? Sick or something?"

"Let go," Jeff growled, raising his head to stare into Mark's eyes.

The older man was slightly stunned to see the flashing of those emerald orbs. It was a familiar look on Jeff…

Mark stiffened in surprise when he realized where he'd seen that look before.

_-Five Years Ago-_

_He smirked around his cigarette as he shoved the kid against the wall. His bitch was so damn hot, especially wearing those tight ass leather pants. He'd had such a hard time trying to get Jeff to wear them. _

"_Your body was meant to be wrapped in leather," Mark breathed against Jeff's lips, blowing smoke into the younger man's parted mouth. He watched the smoke disappear into Jeff's mouth as he held it for a while, before he blew it out slowly._

"_My body? Or my ass?" Jeff leaned back against the wall, licking his lips seductively up at the older man. His entire body was wrapped in black leather. Leather pants stretched tightly over his ass and thighs, caressing his legs lovingly and a leather wrap covered his upper body to the midriff, which was bare; the belly-button piercing glittering in the dim lights. _

"_Everything," Mark growled, reaching down to Jeff's thigh, bringing it up so that his leg hooked around his waist. He trapped Jeff's left wrist against the side of his face and moved the right wrist against his hip. He ground his body against Jeff's, growling against Jeff's mouth as a mewl escaped the plump lips._

"_Stop," Jeff whispered, feeling Mark grab at his ass. He jumped as Mark slapped his hands firmly onto his ass, giving it a tight squeeze. Giving his boyfriend a glare, Jeff tried to get him off, "Uh-uh. You know how I feel about sex before marriage…"_

_Mark rolled his eyes, "How would you know if the person you're gonna marry is any good? You'll be stuck with a boring sex-partner for life…and then what? Let me show you what you've been missing out on."_

_Before Jeff could protest, he found himself shoved roughly onto his knees. He grunted, "Hey, what the hell?"_

_Mark chuckled lightly at this and moved his hand to his zipper, pulling it down quickly. "Ever sucked someone off?"_

_Jeff snorted, "Do I look like a whore to you?"_

"_Do you want me to answer that honestly?" Mark asked, snickering as Jeff glared up at him. "You've never sucked dick, then."_

"_Of course I haven't asshole…" Jeff frowned when Mark gave him a wide smirk. "What?"_

"_You've got the cockwhoriest mouth I've ever seen and you're seriously telling me you've never wrapped your lips around a cock?"_

_Jeff seethed angrily as Mark laughed. "…You're lucky I don't bite you while I'm sucking you off," he growled lightly. He waited on his knees as Mark pulled himself out of his pants.  
_

"_Holy fuck…" Jeff breathed, his eyes widened as he took in the length of Mark's cock. Not only was the damn thing ridiculously long, but it was fucking thick as hell, too! There was no way that would fit down his throat much less his ass…_

"_Start slow, just suck on the tip." Mark instructed. _

_Jeff bit onto his bottom lip before lifting his hand, wrapping it around the base of Mark's large cock. He pointed it upwards towards his mouth and slowly inserted the head into his warm mouth._

_He suckled softly, his eyes closing as he took in the taste. It wasn't a bad taste…he actually found himself wanting more of it. He lowered his head, his lips stretching apart as wide as he could make then without hurting himself. He felt the thick head tickle the back of his throat and he coughed, his eyes watering. _

_Mark sucked in a deep breath through gritted teeth as Jeff raised his head, the hot tongue stroking at the underside of his cock as he lifted himself off. He groaned lightly, watching his cock throb towards Jeff mouth, wanting back inside that moist cavern._

_Jeff stoked his throat a bit, his eyes on the twitching cock. Licking his wet tongue over his lips, he pressed a soft kiss to the slit, his tongue curving out to lap up the precum. He closed his lips around it again and sucked hard on the head. He suckled, his tongue making wet trails over the throbbing head._

_Mark moved his hand back to Jeff's hair, stroking the lovely blue/blonde strands. He grabbed a fist-full of them and pulled the younger man off his cock. He smirked as the loud, wet pop sounded throughout the room. He stared at Jeff's plump lips, eager to press his own against them._

_Jeff quickly shuffled to his feet as Mark tugged at his hair. He felt hands on his leather pants and he stilled, his mind at war with his body. "Mark…"_

"_Shh…" Mark whispered, his breath brushing against Jeff's lips. "Do you love me?"_

_Jeff nodded slowly, his eyes fluttering shut as Mark tugged down the tight leather. He felt Mark help him slide a leg out of the tight leather and down the thick black boot, but the other one was kept stretched tight over his leg._

_He felt Mark pick him up, and he wrapped his legs around the strong hips, his cheeks flushing as that hard cock pressed against his unprepared pucker. He swallowed as Mark attacked his neck with harsh bites and sucks. He moved his hands to Mark's shoulder, gripping them tightly._

"_Say it."_

_Jeff's eyes glassed. "I love you," he whispered before he arched in pain, a loud groan of discomfort leaving his lip as he was impaled on the hard member. He winced at the burning feeling, keening loudly. "Uh, shit…" fuck, it hurt. He was stuffed nearly to the point of tearing. _

"_Embrace the pain and make it one with your pleasure," Mark whispered into his ear, his hands holding tight to gorgeous hips. "Fucking let go for me, Jeff…"_

_Jeff thrashed wildly as he let go. His ass tightened around the large cock inside of him and he let loose a feral moan as the older man began to thrust inside him. He let out short, sharp little cries, causing Mark's movements to speed up._

"_You look like the type of bitch who'd enjoy being fucked on a motorcycle," Mark breathed into Jeff's ear, smirking as Jeff hissed back. _

"_You look like the type of fucker who'd probably do it," Jeff murmured. He moved his hands up to Mark's hair, tugging him down for a kiss. Their tongues danced around in each other's mouths, Mark's thrusts getting harder and much faster._

_Pretty soon, he was ramming Jeff again and again into the wall. He growled as Jeff's head hit the wall._

"_Ouch, shit," Jeff panted, his hands moving behind him to place his palms against the wall. His wrists were grabbed by Mark's again, slamming them into the wall, his body being forced to move up and down onto the thick cock. _

_He could feel himself bleeding…but he didn't care. "Harder," Jeff whined as he lowered his head to Mark's shoulder. He winced in pain as he got it harder but he relished in it. He bit into Mark shoulder as he came without so much as a touch to his cock. He moaned quietly, eyes fluttering shut._

_Mark growled loudly as he felt Jeff clench against him. He thrusted a few more times before burying himself in to the hilt, his cum coating Jeff's walls. He panted against the smaller male, sweat dripping down their bodies and onto their leather pants. _

_Jeff shuddered as Mark pulled out. His feet landed roughly on the floor and he slid down the wall, knees buckling. He felt Mark come down next to him and he winced as one of Mark's fingers slid into his wet passage, playing with the mess he'd left behind. _

"_It sure is gonna be a pain in the ass to tell Matt," Jeff murmured out loud, causing Mark to smirk._

_-Present-_

Mark quickly let go of his ex-husband.

They both stared at each other as Jeff rubbed his left wrist, an imprint of Mark's grip left on the pale skin. For a moment, nothing but their breathing could be heard. Then, as Mark's hand was lifting towards Jeff's cheek, his knuckles brushing against the smooth skin, and their eyes locking…

The phone rang.

Jeff jumped at the loud noise and closed his eyes for a few seconds, feeling his temples throb. He quickly moved to his phone, picking it up off the receiver.

"Hello?" Jeff murmured into the phone, his back to Mark.

Mark breathed hard through his nose and exhaled loudly, turning around to stare at Jeff's back as he spoke softly into the phone. What was going on…? He hadn't thought of the time he'd first been with Jeff for over three years now. What triggered it?

Was the loss of someone so important to them starting to bring them together again?

Mark forced himself to listen as Jeff spoke in the phone and he narrowed his eyes as Jeff's body stiffened. He watched as the phone slowly fell from Jeff's hand, clattering onto the desk.

"What is it?" Mark asked, coming up behind the younger man. He grabbed Jeff's shoulders, forcing him to turn around. He wasn't very surprised to see the pallor of his skin. Seeing the tears rolling down those pale cheeks is what unnerved him.

As he busied himself running his fingers over Jeff's cheeks, he was almost so into it that he didn't hear Jeff's whisper.

"They have a suspect…"

_**{I.V.V.}**_

"…I have to warn you guys," John said softly, setting the mini-recorder onto the table. "What you're about to hear is very, very graphic. This man…was so deranged that he actually recorded himself raping these kids and killing them off one by one. I need you both to listen closely and tell me if you hear a voice that sounds like Lucy."

Jeff stared at John with wide emerald eyes. "You…you want us to listen to this man rape and kill these little girls?"

Randy was watching them from a two-way mirror and he could see the hesitation in Jeff's eyes. He sighed softly and pressed the intercom button, "Jeff," he watched said male jump in surprise, "You need to do this. We need to find out if your daughter is still missing…or…if we've found her."

Jeff's shoulders slumped as his head lowered. He felt Mark's hand on his knee and he covered that hand with one of his, shaking slightly.

Mark waited for Jeff to squeeze his hand before he nodded to John, who started the recorder.

It was agonizing.

For twenty minutes, Jeff couldn't keep the terror off his face as he listened to the screams of the little girls. He could hear every plea for help, every prayer for mercy, every scream of pain and every single wail for an absent parent.

The tears began to run the second one of the girls cried out for her mother. Her voice was so frightened, so scared…so hurt. She was sobbing in utter pain as the diabolical man laughed, taunting her and yelling at her…raping her, hurting her, killing her…

"Stop, please," Jeff begged, his heart breaking second by second. He was close to hyperventilating, his hands and body shaking. He moved a hand up to his chest, clenching his fist around his heart, whimpering in pain as the sound of flesh being cut and sliced reached his ears.

John had his head lowered, his eyes closed tightly. His hands were tightly fisted as he tried to block his emotions out. He was a cop and cops were not supposed to show emotions at a time like this.

Mark was staring at the recorder as it played, his eyes locked on it. Occasionally, his eyes would flicker over to Jeff, trying to offer a silent comfort. He felt very…very…disturbed. He had to listen though, he had to know…

If his baby, if his little girl…if he even heard someone who _sounded_ like her, he knew he could lose control. He paid close attention, his stomach churning as the man laughed on the recorder, torturing another girl and yelling a sick twisted little sentence.

"_Momma and Daddy can't help you now, princess."_

And then…a scream.

A scream that sounded familiar. Almost the same kind of scream as when _she_ fell off her bike and landed on a jagged rock.

Jeff lost it at that. He stood, his chair falling behind him as he ran to the door, bolting out of it as fast as he could.

"Jeff?!" Shannon and Matt, who were waiting outside with the others moved to follow him. Shannon was faster and he caught up to Jeff as he exited the investigation office and stormed into the bathroom where he leaned over and violently began to vomit.

"Oh, god," Shannon whispered as he held Jeff's hair back. He rubbed his best friend's back, wincing as Jeff sobbed through his gagging.

"Nononononononononononono," Jeff repeated over and over again as he cried. His fingers clenched onto the porcelain bowl, his violent upheaval stopping so that he could scream.

He pulled himself into a corner, his knees up to his chest and clutched his hair, shaking his head over and over again, and the tears never-ending.

Shannon and Matt watched him, their hearts breaking. Matt quickly moved to embrace his baby brother, pulling him onto his lap. He whispered soothingly to his brother, rocking him gently, tears gathering in his brown orbs at the sight of his brother's destruction.

Shannon felt himself being moved to the side gently and he looked up as Mark approached. "W-was…was she one of them?"

Mark had a grim look on his face, but his head shook in negative. "…The last girl sounded so much like her and it scared him."

"I can't do it anymore," Jeff sobbed, his fingers clenched around Matt's collar. He looked up into Mark's eyes, the hurt in those orbs causing the older man's heart to throb painfully, "Please, no more!"

"No," Mark agreed quietly, "No…we're done."

Jeff huddled back into his brother's embrace, sobbing quietly. "I want my baby…there are more men like that out there and she could be with one of them…I just want my little girl back…I just want my Lucy."

_**{I.V.V.}**_

Was he so blinded by love that he had to resort to something like this?

He stared at the little girl with warm eyes, watching her whimper in her sleep.

"Momma…" Lucinda whispered, turning in her sleep. "…Momma, Daddy…"

Heidenreich raked his hands through his light-colored hair, shuddering in shame.

"I'm heading out." Kane told him quietly as he walked out of his room, his coat on. He grabbed the door handle and began to open it.

"Kane…?" Heidenreich whispered, his heart thudding in his chest.

Kane turned to his friend, seeing his look of shame and hurt. "Yes?"

"…Say hello to him for me?"

Kane knew who Heidenreich was talking about.

"I will, I promise…" Kane shifted uncomfortably. "You've wanted him for so long…haven't you?"

"I would have liked to be with him," Heidenreich whispered, voice breaking. "But…but not this bad…" he looked to the five-year old. "Not like this…"

Heidenreich smiled plainly over at Kane. "Besides," he murmured, "Mark would never have turned to me. Not when he loved…and still does love, Jeff."

Kane gripped the door handle again, his insides burning at the thought. "Whatever." He left the house, locking the door behind him.

Heidenreich exhaled softly, his eyes closing.

Their third accomplice would be coming to visit Lucy tonight…

'_I hope Kane comes back in time…I don't feel like being alone with that evil being.'_

_**{I.V.V.}**_

_-Dusk; around 6:30-_

The voices wouldn't stop.

Jeff's eyes were opened underneath the water. He was staring at the quickly darkening sky, trying hard to make the voices stop. The screams…those heart-shattering screams…

The lake water was cold, surrounding him in its entirety. He was very good at holding his breath…but that's not what he was doing under there.

He just needed to find peace…to get away from the voices.

But they weren't fucking stopping.

The cold water was suddenly beginning to feel too good around his skin…but before he could slip his eyes shut, he was roughly jerked out of the water and onto the dock.

He choked on some water as he came up, gasping and hacking. He felt arms wrap around him, holding him tight.

"…Don't," Mark whispered against his wet hair, his bigger form shaking.

Jeff mumbled tiredly, "Don't what?"

"Don't kill yourself."

Was that what he was doing? Oh, right. He never was very good at swimming…

"You can't put me through it again." Mark stressed.

"Put you through what again?" Jeff whispered. He felt Mark pull back and he looked up into the lime colored eyes. He was stunned to see the watery look in them as they stared at him unblinking.

"Don't put me through the pain of losing you, again…"

"Fool…you never did lose me. I was the one who lost you…" Jeff was barely able to see straight, but he did know that Mark was getting closer to him…their faces only inches apart and their lips a centimeter away…

Seconds before their mouths could touch, a raspy voice caught their attention.

"Hello, big brother…"

_**{I.V.V.}**_

_I'm having too much fun with this. XD!  
_

_Yes. XD! Heidenreich had a huge thing for Taker. It always did seem fitting to me, especially back then when they were feuding, XD! Their chemistry was amazing!_

_THREE guesses…on whom the final person who schemed it up was. XP!_


	5. Chapter 5

_Title: In Venere Veritas_

_Author: NeroAnne_

_Disclaimer: I don't own the following wrestlers. Do I wish? Oh yes. But do I own? Oh no. XD. I own Lucinda Larraine, that's all. The song, "In Venere Veritas" is by HIM._

_Summary: "In love, there is truth." They've been divorced for three years and want nothing to do with each other. They find themselves coming together when their daughter is kidnapped. Mark/Jeff, AU!_

_For: Slashdlite._

_{I.V.V.}_

Jeff couldn't see beyond Mark's shoulder, but he knew who it was that had spoken. His eyes darkened a bit as Mark shifted, both of them looking to see Mark's younger, half-brother, Kane.

Jeff hadn't seen the man in a little over three years…what the hell was he doing here?

"Kane?" Mark spoke as if he were a bit unsure that was he was seeing was real.

Kane's eyes went from Jeff to his brother's. He kept the calm look on his face, despite the burning feeling in his gut at the sight of Mark's arm wrapped tightly around Jeff's small waist.

"I heard about your daughter and I'm sorry," he began, stepping closer to the pair. He tried not to notice the way Mark's fingers tightened against Jeff's abdomen, "I came to offer my help in any way possible."

Jeff met the bigger man's eyes before shrinking back slightly as Kane reached out to touch his face. He turned his face away, eyes now staring at the dark water. He hadn't forgotten about the kiss that caused the demise of his marriage.

Mark took this in silently, seeing the hurt look in his brother's eyes. He cleared his throat, staring at the slightly taller man with narrowed eyes, "You come back now after so long?"

"I thought if would be for the best," Kane shrugged, "after all, sleeping with your husband behind your back isn't something to be forgiven lightly. I thought that with time you'd be able to accept it and we could move on."

Jeff's head turned sharply at what Kane said. His eyes burned holes through the bigger man, teeth clenching, "We never slept together, and you're disgusting fuck. It may have been your _intention_ to sleep with me that night, but you did nothing because I let you do nothing. Please be kind and get the fuck off my property."

Mark could see his ex-husband begin to tremble and he began to wonder if he had made a mistake those many years ago.

Jeff pulled out of Mark's embrace, walking past Kane and towards the house. The water dripped off his skin, landing with silent padding against the dock. "I want you gone by sunrise. If you're not, I'll make sure you're removed."

Kane waited till the blonde was gone before he turned to Mark, eyes dark. "We really did fuck."

Mark snarled at him silently before grabbing his shirt collar with his fist, "You've offered your condolences. I think its best you left now."

"I want to help look for my niece," Kane said stubbornly but firmly. "Whether you want to admit it or not, Mark, you're dying inside. You need that little girl in your life the same way Jeff does."

"You being here isn't going to make a difference," Mark said, his voice completely cold. "I certainly don't want you hear. Not after the shit you pulled with Jeff."

Kane sighed lightly, "Don't think about that right now."

"You brought it up!"

Kane rolled his eyes, "Alright, sure, but we don't need to worry about that right now. Please, just let me help in any way I can."

Mark felt like he would regret his decision later on…

But they needed all the help they could get to bring Lucinda home.

_**{I.V.V.}**_

Heidenreich looked up as the woman entered. He blinked, seeing a brunette behind her, "Who's that?"

"Where's Lucy?" Michelle asked instead, her eyes searching around for the little girl.

"She's sleeping," Heidenreich murmured, his eyes sill on the brunette.

"This is Layla," Michelle said, "She's helping to make sure that Lucy isn't found."

'_Disgusting.' _Heidenreich's nose wrinkled at this but he kept his mouth shut. He watched as Michelle headed to the room where Lucy was, asleep and in peace. He turned back to Layla, who was shrugging off her coat. "Why are you doing this?"

Layla merely waved her hand around, "She's been my best friend since we were in school and she pays well. It really hurts her that she can't have children, you know, and it's really sick that Jeff can. He's a man, Michelle's a woman and _she's_ the one who can't get pregnant? Sick."

'_Yes and what you're doing is just so pure.' _Heidenreich frowned deeply and turned away, stuffing his hands into his pockets and walking into Lucy's temporary room.

He watched Michelle run her fingers over Lucy's curls and he shifted when the little girl's eyes slightly opened to utter one word.

"Momma…?" her sweet little voice whispered, before she drifted off to sleep again.

Heidenreich narrowed his eyes at the elation on Michelle's face.

"Yes, I'm your momma, honey," She whispered to Lucy, kissing her forehead, caressing her hair.

'_Foolish woman…all Lucy saw was blonde hair and she thought you were Jeff. There's no other reason for her to call you momma.'_

Michelle stood, walking to the doorway, staring up at Heidenreich. "I have to get back to Mark. Take care of my daughter."

"She is not your daughter," Heidenreich said calmly. "You _want_ her to be your daughter. What you're doing is evil. Ripping that poor little girl away from her parents…it's fucking evil."

Michelle smiled sweetly at him, "Oh, John, dear John Heidenreich…you're just as evil. I wasn't the one who took Lucy out of her bed. That was all you. Kane drove the car to get here; you're both as deep in the whole as I am. Remember that next time you want to talk to me like that, okay?"

She side-stepped the bigger man, walking towards the Layla, "Let's go."

Heidenreich watched both women leave the house before shaking his head, looking back to Lucy.

Her little hands were clenched lightly, but there was a small smile on her face.

"Are you dreaming with your parents, little on?" he wondered softly. "Is it beautiful where you are?"

Heidenreich hoped it was. He really did.

_**{I.V.V.}**_

_-The Next Morning-_

"I don't want him here."

"I know."

"You _know_," Jeff said sarcastically, looping a belt around his waist, "You know and yet you said it was alright for him to stay here." He turned to Mark when he was done with his belt, still shirtless with water droplets sliding down his neck, "Are you retarded?"

Mark blinked slowly at this, a tad but amused by the younger man's attitude. "No, I'm quite intelligent, how are you?"

"Losing my sanity every second," Jeff admitted, nodding his head, eyes closing, "Mark, in case you don't remember, your brother is half the reason why we're no longer married. That, and your wife stuck her pointy nose in my business and interpreted shit in a very wrong way." He opened up his drawer, pulling out a long-sleeved shirt to wear.

They had a meeting with John and Randy to talk about a possible couple who was known for kidnapping children to keep for themselves.

"She's not my wife," Mark said immediately, a tad bit annoyed at the statement.

Jeff raised a brow, "Could have fooled me."

Michelle appeared in the doorway, wearing a bright yellow midriff shirt and short jeans.

Jeff twitched at this. The woman was not allowed upstairs. "Speak of the bitch and she shall appear," he muttered under his breath as he turned around, sliding his shirt over one arm and then the other.

Mark heard this and smirked wryly before turning to Michelle, "What is it?"

"Kane is looking for you-" she began to say but was cut off as the man walked in.

"Speak of the monster and he shall appear as well," Jeff sing-songed as he buttoned up his shirt.

"So catty," Kane murmured, almost in wonder, "I guess I should be used to it. I mean, if you're a hellcat in bed, why wouldn't you be one out of it?"

Mark clenched his fists at this but before he could even blink, Jeff was walking towards his half-brother, fire dancing in his green eyes.

"Listen to me, creep, I'm in a _really _bad mood. I don't have the need, time, or patience to deal with your bullshit lies or fucking sarcasm. I want you the fuck out of here," Jeff turned to give Mark a pointed glare, "And I don't care if someone wants you here."

With a rough shove, Jeff managed to push away both Kane and Michelle, locking his door and placing his forehead against it, his nails scarping down the wooden surface. He let loose a loud sigh.

"You didn't sleep with him?" Mark questioned softly. He felt stupid for asking, especially at the sound that escaped the back of Jeff's throat.

"…Oh my god," Jeff groaned, his head banging softly against the door. "How many times do I have to tell you that I didn't? Would you like me to take a lie detector test or something? Mark, you meant the world to me," he stressed, turning around to face the man he'd loved. "You were my first love, my husband, the father to my daughter…" Jeff shook his head slightly, eyes lowering, "You were just too fucking blind to see it all."

Jeff's eyes opened in surprise as he was pulled into a tight embrace, grunting slightly as his and Mark's chest bumped against each other. "What are you-" his eyes widened in surprise, a sound of consternation forming in the back of his throat.

The sound didn't leave his lips…

…because his entire mouth was covered by Mark's.

Jeff's eyes watered, tears streaking down his face. He'd forgotten…

He'd forgotten what it felt like to be kissed. How nice it felt to be held in someone's arms. He'd forgotten how much he'd loved Mark and how much he loved him still. He'd forgotten…how much he missed Mark.

Jeff's arms wrapped around Mark's waist, opening his mouth as Mark's tongue traced his lips. He exhaled a shuddering breath as their tongues met, remembering the taste of each other. Jeff panted as Mark broke to kiss to lick away the tears trickling down his face.

As soon as his face was rid of tears, strong hands grabbed his neck, pulling closer, and mouths fusing together again. Jeff couldn't help but moan as Mark's tongue fought with his again, both of them tasting the salt of his tears.

He could feel Mark walking him backwards, to his bed, and he allowed it. His knees hit the back of his bed and he sat down, sliding his hands underneath Mark's tank top. He kissed the skin of Mark's stomach lightly before feeling himself be pushed down, the older man crawling over him.

They kissed again, a bit more violently this time. All the hurt, all the anger, all the sadness was forced into the kiss, making their teeth clang and their tongues fight. The rough kiss was broken again as Mark's mouth moved to Jeff's neck, kissing and sucking on the pale flesh.

Jeff moaned softly, hips arching as his fingers slid down Mark's back. He felt the buttons on his shirt rip open and he panted, his tongue sliding out to wet his lips as Mark moved his mouth down to his nipples.

He let out a startled yelp as his left nipple was grabbed, Mark's long fingers pinching and pulling on the pink bud.

"Shh…" Mark whispered, his lips resting against Jeff's collar-bone.

"Mark…" Jeff felt his fingers slide down to his abdomen, tracing the scar on his stomach. His eyes clouded again.

What were they doing…? So close to fucking while their daughter was missing…

Sick.

Jeff gently sat up, moving Mark off of him. He rolled out of the bed, shrugging off the now ruined shirt and looking for another one.

"That was wrong," Jeff murmured, running his tongue over his swollen lips. "It shouldn't have happened."

"Bullshit," Mark rasped, coming up behind Jeff. He pulled him back into his embrace, his cock pressed against the younger man's ass. He felt Jeff's head rest back against his shoulder and he pressed his lips to Jeff's cheek.

"You accused me of cheating on you, Mark…" Jeff whispered, staring up at the ceiling. "You fucked up and I'm not letting that go. You're in a relationship. Don't become your own suspicions. Don't use me to cheat on Michelle."

Jeff tore himself away from the grip; his voice trembling, "And don't do it while our daughter is missing." He grabbed another shirt from his drawer and opened his door, walking downstairs quickly as he pulled on the shirt.

Mark stayed in the room for a few more minutes, staring at the wall. He shook his head, turning on his heel and leaving the room.

_**{I.V.V.}**_

They sat side-by-side as they watched the couple through the two-way glass mirror.

Jeff had his right leg crossed over his left leg, his eyes locked on the woman, who had tears streaking down her face. Mark was sitting with his arms crossed, green eyes narrowed as he listened to the couple tell their story.

"And you both haven't kidnapped a child since the last time we arrested you, correct?" Randy questioned, his cobalt eyes locked on the couple in front of him.

"Right," the man said, waving his hand other. "We learned our lesson. It took us six years, but we learned. We haven't kidnapped a child since Gabriel."

"You're sure about that," John said, eyeing both people. "How do either of you know the other hasn't tried to kidnap again?"

"I promise you we haven't," the woman said tearfully. "We wanted our own child so badly, but I can't have children. We knew we were hurting others…but please believe us; we're not doing it anymore. We're now aware of the pain parents must go through when they're child goes missing."

Mark thought about this, humming softly to himself under his breath.

Why did that sound so familiar?

He and Jeff both looked up as John walked in, his blue eyes gentle.

"They're telling the truth," John said quietly. "They both took a lie detector test and they both passed. Not a single question negative."

Jeff stood, straightening his collar.

John blinked, seeing the red bite on the pale skin of Jeff's neck. He raised a brow, the surprise clear on his face. He quickly replaced it with a somber look. "Sorry, Jeff."

Jeff nodded, shaking John's hand, "Thanks, John." He shoved his hands into his pockets, looking up as Randy brought the couple into the room.

The woman looked over at him, her brown eyes thoughtful, "I'm so sorry…about your daughter."

"Thank you," Jeff whispered tiredly.

"Have faith, man," the male said; rubbing Jeff's shoulder, "Maybe the one who has your daughter will have a change of heart like we did."

Even though Jeff doubted it, he couldn't help but thank the male.

As he and Mark left the office, they were met by their family and friends.

And fucking paparazzi.

Jeff lowered his head, hearing the loud comments, questions and the flashes of the cameras.

"_Jeff, are there any leads?"_

"_Jeff, Jeff, how are you feeling right now?"_

"_Were the Robinsons the kidnappers, Mr. Hardy?"_

"No comment," Jeff drawled dryly, his eyes clenching shut.

"Get the fuck away, vultures!" Shannon spat, his hands flipping the bird to the paparazzi. "You guys are gonna swallow your fucking cameras, I swear to hell you are!"

Jeff sighed. He felt a large hand grab his own and he blinked as Mark pulled him closer, the older man's face a controlled mask.

This seemed to razz the paparazzi even more.

"_Jeff, are you and your ex-husband back together?!"_

"_Mr. Calaway, do you still have hidden feelings for Jeff?"_

"_Are you both living in the same house?"_

"Enough!" Jeff yelled, unable to help himself. He tore his hand away from Mark's and just ran.

He ignored the yells from Matt and Shannon. Ignored the wails from Phil and Chris. Ignored Mark. Ignored Kane. Ignored Michelle.

He just ran.

Hours later, nearly dusk, Jeff found himself walking down an unfamiliar road, but he didn't care. He shuddered as the wind picked up, his hair whip lashing in the wind. He could feel his cell phone vibrating and he reached out, pulling it to his ear.

"What, Matt?"

"_What do you mean, 'What, Matt'?! Where are you, Jeff?"_

"Around…I'll be home soon." Jeff answered.

There was the sound of a struggle and Matt yelping. Jeff blinked.

"_Get back home, Jeff. I don't need something to happen to you, too."_

Jeff sighed, "Mark, nothing is going to happen to-" he gasped as he was pulled into an ally.

His cell phone dropped to the floor, ending the call.

"I've got you now you little…" the man trailed off, staring at Jeff in shock, "Oh, man…Hardy? Jeff Hardy?"

Jeff looked up at the man, his eyes filled with surprise, "Do I know you?"

"No," the man admitted, "I'm your biggest fan. I read all your books…" he smiled sheepishly, running a hand through his hair. "Sorry about that…I thought you were my ex. Dumb bitch cheated on me and I was gonna get a reason out of her."

Jeff stared at the man, taking in his slightly haggard appearance. "It's fine…" he shrugged, "What's your name?"

"Adam Copeland," he introduced. "I can't believe I'm actually meeting you." The man's hazel eyes narrowed, "What are you doing around here? This place isn't very safe."

"…I was running away from paparazzi for asking too many questions."

"About what?" Adam asked, head tilting.

Jeff looked away.

"Oh," Adam lowered his tone, "Lucinda?"

Jeff nodded slowly.

"I'm really sorry about that, man. When I heard, I felt for you, I truly did." Adam ran a hands through his long blonde hair, "Want me to give you a ride to your place? I promise I won't stalk you," he laughed nervously.

Jeff cracked a grin. "Sure, Adam. I'd like that."

_**{I.V.V.}**_

_-Later on that night-_

"Thank you, Adam." Jeff said as he opened the passenger door.

"No problem, man," Adam smiled, "I'll keep an eye out for Lucy."

"Thank you," Jeff whispered. He waved as the blonde drove off.

"Nice guy…hope he and his girlfriend work things out…" Jeff turned around and slammed against Mark. "Owe…"

"Where've you been?"

Before Jeff could reply, his wrist was grabbed and he was being pulled into the house.

"Never mind, just get inside."

Jeff snorted.

Even when they weren't together anymore, Mark was still so damn controlling.

_**{I.V.V.}**_

_Adam made a cameo. Probably won't be mentioned again._

_XD. Look. They kissed. XD._

_YES! It was MICHELLE. -_- not a big shock to some. And Layla, too. Just cuz she LOOKS kinda muffed up._

_XD._

_Lo0o0o0o0ove 0o0o0on._


	6. Chapter 6

_Title: In Venere Veritas_

_Author: NeroAnne_

_Disclaimer: I don't own the following wrestlers. Do I wish? Oh yes. But do I own? Oh no. XD. I own Lucinda Larraine, that's all. The song, "In Venere Veritas" is by HIM._

_Summary: "In love, there is truth." They've been divorced for three years and want nothing to do with each other. They find themselves coming together when their daughter is kidnapped. Mark/Jeff, AU!_

_For: Slashdlite._

_{I.V.V.}_

Jeff stepped out of the bathtub, wrapping a towel around his waist. He drained the tub and left his bathroom, moving to his room and towards his bed. He crawled on top of it and sighed, burying his face in his pillow.

The stress was piling up faster than he wanted it to. He still didn't have his baby in his arms, Kane and Michelle were _still_ in his house, and Mark was now sick. It was not easy to get peace at times like this. Even if he made it clear that he wanted to be alone, no one would let him be.

Jeff walked back to the laundry room, staring at the laundry he'd left inside the dryer. He took it out, folding some of his own shirts and setting them on top of the machine. He stopped when he came to the next clothes.

Lucinda's clothes. Lucy's blue rain coat, Lucy's baby blue pajamas, Lucy's pretty red shirt with a butterfly on it, Lucy's butterfly bedazzled shirts, and Lucy's tiny jeans and underwear.

Jeff closed his eyes tightly as a loud whimper left his throat. He moved one hand over his mouth and fought back the sobs. He shuddered and quickly grabbed Lucy's clothing, rushing back upstairs and down the hall.

He opened Lucy's drawers and began to put her clothing inside and then stopped.

His eyes widened and he slowly reached his hand towards the object inside.

The powder blue inhaler with the navy blue cover. Lucy's spare inhaler.

'_Oh, god…' _Jeff thought, trying to remember if Lucy still had her other inhaler. She had it in the pocket of her sundress that day for Damien party…but what if it had fallen out? What if she had an asthma attack?

"…I need to call John," he murmured to himself. He put the inhaler back where he found it and quickly moved back to his own room. He'd just made it inside when he was slammed into his bed.

He shuddered as he felt the heavy weight settle in between his thighs. His eyes widened. Before he could cry out, a large hand clamped over his mouth, stifling his cries.

He stared, eyes wide up at Kane. He shuddered in disgust as the man smiled at him, tongue curling out to lick at his cheek. Jeff turned his head away viciously, the hand still held tightly over his mouth.

"Why do you fight so much?" Kane whispered, "Even when you have nothing to lose…?"

Jeff narrowed his eyes at the bigger man and roughly sank his teeth into Kane's palm. As soon as the large hand was pulled away from his mouth, he answered the question, "Because I don't fucking want you."

He raised his knees, his feet planting firmly against Kane's chest, and pushed hard. The force of the shove sent Kane toppling off the bed and against the wall.

Jeff stood, calmly adjusting the towel on his waist. "If you don't want to be severely hurt, I'd suggest you leave."

Kane smirked lightly, "You're going to hurt me?"

"He won't, but _I will_."

Kane turned, staring into the eyes of his half-brother. He frowned at the older man before allowing his face to split into a smirk and slowly, keeping his eyes on Mark, he left the room, closing the door silently behind him.

Jeff waited till the door closed before moving to it quickly, locking it. He grabbed the towel with his left hand, turning slowly to face Mark. "What are you doing in here?" he breathed, chest heaving.

Mark merely waved him off and face-planted onto the bed, his eyes closing. He tried with difficulty to clear his throat, his palms clenching into Jeff's sheets.

Jeff frowned as he watched him, "Why aren't you with Michelle? Shouldn't she be taking care of you?"

"She made some foul tasting tea before going to the store to buy some medicine," Mark replied calmly. He opened his eyes when he felt a cool palm against his forehead. He stared up at Jeff's face as the younger man inspected him.

It was a familiar sight.

_-Flashback-_

_Mark sneezed into the tissue, groaning loudly as he fell back against the bed. _

"_Dada?"_

_Mark opened his eyes wide, staring over at the foot of the bed. _

_Tender blonde curls touched at her porcelain cheeks, her green eyes wide and full of natural curiosity. Her small hands were reaching out to her daddy._

"_No, no, Lucy," Mark said quickly, shying away from the touch, "You'll get sick if you touch me," he told the one-year old._

_Lucinda stared at him, not even close to understanding him. She giggled instead and moved to jump on her daddy._

_Mark inhaled sharply. _

"_No, no, sweetheart," _

_Mark exhaled, opening his eyes to see Lucy cradled in Jeff's arms. He felt Jeff's small, cool palm against his burning forehead. He pouted up at his husband, "…Where's my soup?"_

_Jeff smirked at him, "In the kitchen. What do you want me to do? Bring it up here and feed it to you too?" he turned, balancing Lucinda on his hip._

_Mark whined as he left and crossed his arms, sniffing indignantly. He wasn't getting outta this bed. _

_He must have dozed off, because he woke up several minutes later with Jeff gently rubbing his back. _

"_Come on," he whispered sweetly, "I've got your soup."_

_Mark turned, seeing Jeff pick up the bowl of soup from the dresser. He made room for Jeff, who sat down next to him and began spoon-feeding him the soup._

_Once he was done, Mark nuzzled against his husbands stomach, kissing his belly ring softly. "Love you."_

_Jeff's fingers ran through his hair in gentle caresses, "I love you too."_

_-End flashback-_

"Feels like a fever," Jeff murmured to himself, moving his palm from Mark's forehead to his own. "What made you ill?"

"Hell if I know," Mark groused. "All I had recently was a cup of coffee that Michelle made."

Jeff's eyes narrowed in suspicion. "Hmm…" he got up, walking back into his bathroom to look for a robe. He pulled it on and secured it before heading towards the door, "I'll be back." He still had to call John…

"No." Mark reached out weakly, his fingers curling around Jeff's wrist.

Jeff stared at him oddly.

"…Don't go," Mark whispered faintly, his eyes fighting to stay awake. With his last amount of strength before his eyes finally shut, he pulled Jeff onto the bed with him. He felt the long limbs fall around him, and heard the startled squeak before he finally slipped into a deep sleep.

Jeff lifted his head, eyes softening as he looked down at the bigger man. He was very ill…his body temperature nearly scorching. He sat up a little, just to make himself a bit more comfortable. He moved towards his left side, pressing his cheek against Mark's collarbone.

He felt arms wrap around him and he smiled lightly, curling his own fingers against Mark's chest.

He closed his eyes, falling into a peaceful sleep for the first time in days, momentarily forgetting about the call to John.

_**{I.V.V.}**_

Michelle glared as she walked into the house with Layla right behind her. She looked to Heidenreich who was peeking into the room Lucinda was being kept in. "What do you mean she's _sick_?" she hissed, coming up behind the man.

Heidenreich looked over at her, "She's sick," he replied simply before his eyebrow raised, "How'd you get here so quick?"

"I put something in Mark's tea that would knock him out for a while and told him I was going to get medicine. How sick? What's wrong with her?"

"Well, I had her outside so that she could run around a bit-" Heidenreich's head turned with the force of the slap.

He slowly pivoted his head back to Michelle who was seething.

"You took her _outside_?" Michelle hissed, "Where someone could have seen her?"

"She needed to see the outside, you unnerving bitch," Heidenreich hissed. "She's five. A five year old can not be kept locked inside a room all day. It'll scar her for life."

Michelle ignored his words, looking inside the room. Her brown eyes widened.

Lucy was on the bed, breathing roughly, her pretty little face paler than usual. She was shaking hard, her lips a light bluish color.

Michelle had been an athlete her whole life and she knew what was wrong with her daughter.

"Asthma," she said calmly, crossing her arms. "I can't believe that bitch Jeff never mentioned she had asthma."

"You and Mark weren't around all the damn time," Heidenreich said evenly, "and he sure as hell never expected you to _kidnap_ her."

"She's always been a runner, though," Michelle murmured to herself, ignoring Heidenreich, "Why is she having complications now…" she blinked, her eyes clouding over in memory.

-_Damien's Party-_

"_Lucy!" Jeff called, his hands on his hips, "Stop running around too much, you know what that does to you!"_

"_Sorry, momma!" Lucy called back, "But I have it in my pocket!"_

"_Don't use it for fun, Lucy," Jeff warned, "You know only to take it when you're having an episode."_

"_Yes, momma."_

_-End Flashback-_

"In her sundress," Michelle murmured. She turned to Heidenreich. "Where's the yellow sundress she was wearing at the party?"

Heidenreich went into another room and came back out, holding the sundress in his hand.

Michelle dug into the deep side pocket and pulled out the periwinkle colored inhaler. "Here," she handed it to Heidenreich, who stared at it, "Pull off the cover, put in her mouth and push down on the top two times, make sure she breathes it in. I can't do it because she knows who I am."

Heidenreich really didn't want to do it, but he also didn't want the precious little girl to be hurt. He rushed in, gently picking Lucinda's head off the pillow, "Here, honey, breath for me," he put the inhaler to her mouth and pushed down. Once and then twice.

It took a few minutes, but Lucy's color was slowly turning back to its creamy tone and her lips were becoming pink again. Her eyes opened, hazily staring up at Heidenreich. "…Thank you."

Heidenreich could feel his heart break. He stared back at her guiltily before moving her back down to rest on the bed. "Get some sleep."

Obediently, her pretty lime eyes closed and her head turned.

Heidenreich quickly moved out of the room and he grabbed Michelle by the hair, much to the stupid wench's surprise.

"Let go, you idiot!" she yelled.

"Give her back to her parents," Heidenreich growled, "I don't care if I _do_ go to jail. She is not yours and she never will be."

"You don't understand," Michelle hissed, "All I ever wanted was a child. At first I wanted Mark; because I believe he could _give_ me a child." Michelle smiled bitterly, "but no. He fucked Jeff, another _male_ and he goes and gets pregnant. How come I can't get pregnant and he can? That's not fucking normal. I don't even _care_ about Mark. Not anymore. He promised me full custody of Lucinda but I knew that he wouldn't go through with it."

She laughed, tossing her head back, "I was right. He took one look into that hermaphrodite's eyes and he was smitten with him again. Of course he wouldn't take Lucy away from Jeff. I knew that before he told me." She smiled, "and that's why I talked to Kane a week before."

Heidenreich scowled. He really should never have told his friend about the love he had for Mark. Kane got him into this fucking mess also.

"Kane lied to me," Heidenreich growled, "He told me that Mark was single." He crossed his arms, eyes fiery, "If he didn't have so much shit on me, I would have told him to go fuck himself when he suggested I meet you."

Michelle merely winked.

"I should have known better," he murmured to himself, shaking his head, "I should have known that you would tell fucked up lies to get what you want. Both of you."

He went through with it, though.

He kidnapped his love interest's child and he still hadn't done anything to make sure she got back to him safely.

_**{I.V.V.}**_

_-The Next Morning-_

"I know she has it with her, but sometimes she forgets she's supposed to be using it, you know?" Jeff murmured into the phone, his fingers brushing through his hair. He balanced the phone between his shoulder and his ear, pouring some cough medicine into a measuring cup.

"_I'll make sure to get the info out that she's got asthma…but Jeff, did you look at the paper today?"_

"I don't read that shit, John," Jeff muttered, cursing as some of the syrup dripped over his fingers.

"…_Maybe you should. They say some pretty interesting things about you and Mark."_

"What?" Jeff reached over to the paper that was spread out across the table. Matt had been reading it earlier but he hadn't mentioned anything about it. Maybe he didn't get to finish…

Jeff picked it up, his eyes widening as he looked at the picture.

Mark was holding onto his hand, the look on his face completely stoic. Jeff moved his eyes to the other person, him. He looked at the way his face was half-hidden by his long blonde hair and half bore to show the pain he'd been going through.

_Well-known author and ex-husband comfort one another after news that suspected kidnappers did not have their daughter._

Jeff rolled his eyes as he read over the words before skimming through it. He flushed when he realized why John reacted the way he did.

In the middle of the article, the press talked about the strange hickey on his neck and they concluded that it was Mark that put it there.

…Fuck.

"_Are you sleeping with him, Jeff?"_

"No," Jeff said immediately. "No, I'm not sleeping with him and I'm not going to sleep with him."

"…_You have no feelings for him?"_

Jeff didn't respond to the question, instead, he told Cena he had to go and quickly ended the call. He leaned his elbows against the island and covered his face with his hands. He groaned and rose up.

He picked up the little cup of cough syrup and made his way upstairs.

"Don't fall for him again…"

Jeff stopped, turning around, his hand holding onto the rail. He stared into moss green eyes, "Shanny…"

"You were pining for him, Jeff," Shannon whispered, eyes watching his. "You were so depressed after he left you…"

Jeff watched Shannon close his eyes and he shifted as memories came back to him.

_**{I.V.V.}**_

-_Three Years Ago-_

_He was huddled on the bed, his hands cradling his face. His loud sobs could be heard throughout the entire house. He was just thankful that Matt had offered to watch Lucinda. _

_He shook, his hiccupping gasps causing a tight ache in his chest. He could still hear Mark's accusations ringing through his head. _

"_I hate you," he whispered to himself. He repeated the mantra to himself several times, gradually getting louder and louder. "I hate you!"_

_He felt someone wrap their arms around him and he stiffened, his body shaking as lips pressed to his ear. _

"_Stop it." Shannon whispered fiercely, holding tight to his best friend. "You know damn well you didn't cheat and that's all that matters. You have a daughter to raise, man. Think about Lucy." He put his hand on Jeff's abdomen, gently tracing the scar._

"…_Shanny…" Jeff moved his hand up to Shannon's, both of them quiet. The hot tears slipped down Jeff's face and disappeared down his cheeks. "He wants nothing to do with her," he choked out, "he thinks she doesn't belong to him. How could he deny his own baby girl, Shanny?"_

"_He's fucking stupid, that's why," Shannon replied. He held Jeff tight, "Don't worry about him anymore. My god-daughter doesn't need him anyway. As long as Lucy's got her momma…she'll be fine."_

_Shannon was supportive…but it didn't stop Jeff from pining. _

_He'd lost a good thirty pounds during the process before he was able to get back on his feet and channel all his love into his writing and into his daughter. _

_**{I.V.V.}**_

"You were killing yourself, Jeff," Shannon whispered. "I don't want to see you go through it again."

"Don't worry, Shannon," Jeff said, making his way back upstairs, "I'm not gonna fall for him again."

He could feel Shannon's eyes on his back as he walked but soon, he made it to his room. He found Mark awake in bed, flipping through Lucinda's baby album.

"…" Jeff walked up to him and held up the medicine for him to see.

Mark made a face. "Dammit." He opened his mouth, twitching as the liquid swam down his throat. He gagged and made funny faces before focusing his attention back to the album. He spread his legs open, staring at Jeff expectantly.

Jeff raised a brow.

"Sit." Mark said, patting the space in between his knees. When Jeff made no move to do it, he reached over and jerked him down.

Jeff grunted as he landed with his face in Mark's crotch. He froze before he scrambled, finding a different position. His cheeks went red before he sat with his back to Mark's chest. His eyes moved down to the baby album.

"…" Jeff's eyes looked at a specific picture. He smiled softly, his fingers traced over it.

"She was four here…she'd just gotten the gift you sent her. The blue whale…she slept with it for months."

Mark nuzzled Jeff's shoulder, staring at the picture. "She looks happy."

"She was…" Jeff could feel his eyes water. "She was a happy baby….she was a happy girl."

"Stop talking about her as if she's dead," Mark hissed, "she _is_ a happy girl. We're going to get her back. I won't rest until she's back in our lives."

Before Jeff could get out a watery protest, he found his mouth covered by Mark's. He felt himself being lowered onto the bed and his arms went around Mark's shoulders as they kissed.

They broke the kiss and stared into each other's eyes for a while. Mark sighed and rested his head on Jeff's collar-bone.

Jeff hugged Mark close to him, closing his eyes tightly.

'_It's heartache every moment with you…'_

_**{I.V.V.}**_

_More shit will come into play once I get it down on paper. XD._

_I go by no plans, sweethearts. A chapter comes to me and I write it. _

_Anyway, yeah, I gave Lucy asthma. My brother had asthma when he was like three, so yeah, it's possible to get it so young. _

_Love on!_


	7. Chapter 7

_Title: In Venere Veritas_

_Author: NeroAnne_

_Disclaimer: I don't own the following wrestlers. Do I wish? Oh yes. But do I own? Oh no. XD. I own Lucinda Larraine, that's all. The song, "In Venere Veritas" is by HIM._

_Summary: "In love, there is truth." They've been divorced for three years and want nothing to do with each other. They find themselves coming together when their daughter is kidnapped. Mark/Jeff, AU!_

_For: Slashdlite._

_{I.V.V.}_

-_The Seventh Day-_

Mark's eyes slowly opened. He glanced behind his shoulder, seeing that he was alone. He sat up, grimacing as his muscles popped. He heard a soft exhale and he looked over at the carpeted floor, where Jeff was sitting.

"Are you alright?" Mark moved off of the bed to sit behind Jeff. He wrapped his arms around that tiny waist, pulling Jeff close. He rested his chin on the younger man's shoulder, feeling him melt back against his chest.

"…Do you realize that it's been _s-seven_ days since I held my baby in my arms?" The younger man whispered, emerald eyes moist. "Seven days. One week. Since I've heard the word, _momma_. One week since Lucy's laugh filled this house…"

Jeff shook his head, bringing one of his knees up to his chest. He rested his cheek against it, sniffing, "It's been too damn long. Why aren't there any clues? Why hasn't anyone called with information? 100,000 dollars is a lot of money for at least _some_ type of information…"

Mark remained silent, feeling the smaller male's body tremble. He moved his hand to Jeff's abdomen, his palm covering the scar on the pale abdomen. "We're going to get her back. I promised you."

Jeff tried hard not to snort. Instead, a bitter giggle escaped his throat. "You promised to trust me. You promised to always love me. You promised to never hurt me. You can promise a lot of things, Mark. It doesn't mean that I'm going to believe you and it's not going to bring my baby back into my arms."

Mark blinked in surprise as Jeff stood. His eyes followed his ex-husband, watching him grab a black wife-beater before he left the room. He dragged a hand down his face slowly, keeping his eyes tightly closed.

Things weren't getting any better…

He was slowly losing hope that they _would_.

_**{I.V.V.}**_

"Do you remember when Lucy was born?" Shannon whispered, his hands holding Jeff's as they swung on the porch swing. The older blonde's head was resting on Shannon's shoulder as their green eyes gazed out into the yard, where Damien was playing baseball with Matt.

"Of course I do," Jeff murmured. "Mark was running late and you and Matt were the only ones allowed in to calm me down…"

The memory began to replay in his head.

_-Lucy's Birth-_

"_God fucking dammit," Jeff growled, squeezing Shannon's hand. _

"_Jeffy," Shannon squeaked, "This is my right hand, how am I supposed to masturbate?" he stiffened at the dark look in Jeff's eyes. _

"_Use Matt's hand," the nineteen year old gritted out. He had sweat sliding down his neck, disappearing into the hospital gown. _

_Matt laughed nervously from Jeff's other side, "No, I don't think Phil would like that very much…"_

_Jeff groaned in discomfort, resting back against the pillow. Fucking contractions…_

"_Where the hell is he?" Shannon growled, looking to the door. "I knew I disliked him for a reason. Bastard probably took his bike and…owe!"_

_Jeff had dug his nails into the top of his hand. _

_The doctor gave Jeff a wary look, "I'm sorry, sir, but if we wait any longer the baby could-"_

_A loud commotion from outside caused the doctor to stop short. They all turned to the door when it opened, revealing the nearly 7-foot biker. He had his leather jacket wrapped tightly around his frame._

_With a large teddy bear, a vase of red/green/blue/purple roses and six balloons in his arms. _

_Jeff raised a brow at this, his hands twitching. "That's why you were late?"_

_Mark shrugged, dumping the stuff on Shannon, who fell backwards with the force of it. He took his spot besides Jeff, taking hold of his small hand. He immediately twitched in pain as Jeff squeezed, another contraction setting him off._

"_I'm gonna do this to your dick," Jeff hissed, squeezing harder, "I can not believe you did this to me."_

"_What? Get you pregnant?" _

"_Exactly."_

_Mark grinned as the doctor ushered Shannon and Matt out before turning to Jeff. "Are we ready?"_

_Jeff gave him a nervous nod. _

_For a while after that, everything was a blur. _

_Until he heard the wails_

_The baby was crying loudly, its cry echoing off the walls. _

_Jeff sat up slowly, wincing in slight pain. He looked to his left, seeing Mark there. Their eyes met and Mark's lips parted. _

"_A girl," he whispered, moving down to press his mouth to Jeff's. _

_Jeff felt a sense of happiness enter his heart. He smiled as he was handed his little girl. He cooed down at her, seeing her eyes tightly shut, her little mouth pouting. "…She looks exactly like you," he whispered up to the older man. _

"_She's got your mouth…" Mark frowned at this. "Oh hell no. She's never leaving the house."_

_Jeff flushed, realizing what Mark meant, "You're so aggravating," he sighed, but smiled none-the-less._

_They both looked down, watching as she opened her lime colored eyes. _

_Mark's eyes. _

_Jeff smiled softly, dipping down to kiss her nose, "Happy Birthday, Lucy…"_

_-Present-_

"You named me her god-father and I was so happy," Shannon said softly. "…I miss her so much. She's a clever girl, though. You know it and I knew it. She's going to come back to us."

Jeff stayed silent, feeling Shannon's every inhale and exhale. He smiled softly, eyes closing as Damien hit a home-run. "…I know. I know."

_**{I.V.V.}**_

"What is it, little one?"

Lucinda picked at the burger and fries in front of her. Not really eating, just playing with it. Her green eyes looked up to Heidenreich, "…I miss my daddy…and my momma." She pouted, "Why can't I see them?"

Heidenreich felt himself swallow thickly. "Well…uhm…"

Lucy gazed at him, her pretty eyes full of sudden wisdom. "I never gonna see them again?" she asked childishly.

Heidenreich stared at her before slowly shaking his head.

"Tell me why?"

He tightened his grip on his drink, his eyes turning dark. "…Lucy, do you know what it means to have a baby?"

Lucy's lime eyes blinked. "A baby?"

"Yes, honey. You see, you're a very special baby. You have two daddies instead of just one."

Lucy gave him a funny look. "No. My momma's name is Jeff and my daddy is Mark."

"Yes, but they're both _men_."

"Damien has that too with Uncle Matty and Philly," Lucy said, "and my friend Tommy in school has _two_ mommas."

"…You're all very special, then. Some women can not bear children, though, Lucy…and that makes them feel really sad. They want a baby so bad that sometimes they do really bad things to get that baby."

Lucy's eyes went wide. "…I…I is stolen?"

She understood now…

Heidenreich slowly nodded but jumped back as Lucy began to screech.

"I doesn't wanna be stolen! I want my momma! Give me back my momma!" Lucy's little fists pounded on the table, her cries echoing off the walls.

Heidenreich tried to calm her and he looked up as the door opened. He stared up at the blonde woman, whose eyes were narrowed.

"Why is she screaming?"

Lucy looked to her as well, squinting through her tears, "Michelle?" her eyes brightened and she ran towards her, hugging the other blonde's knees, "Can you take me to my momma?"

Michelle knelt down, smiling sweetly, "Momma's right here, sweetie."

Lucy looked around before looking back to Michelle. "Where?"

Michelle frowned a bit, "I'm your momma, sweetie."

"No…" Lucy said quietly, her head tilting.

"Yes, I am Lucy. I am your mother."

"No!" Lucy cried.

"Lucy…"

"I want my momma, my _real_ momma! I hate you, Michelle!"

Michelle straightened and reared her hand back.

Heidenreich jumped up as the woman slammed her cheek against the five-year olds cheek, sending the little body to the floor with a loud wail of pain, "Hey!" he reached forwards, grabbing Michelle by the throat and pinning her to the opposite wall.

Michelle winced and grabbed the man's hand, "Let go, you lummox."

Heidenreich glared at her and squeezed her throat. "Give me one good reason why I shouldn't just put you through this wall and end your life."

Michelle smirked, "Very well. Here it is: If you knock me through the wall…you'll land your ass in jail not _only_ for kidnapping…but for murder as well."

Heidenreich glared tightly at her. Slowly, his grip loosened.

Michelle's mouth tilted to a smirk but it was quickly wiped off by the back of Heidenreich's hand. She slid down the wall in surprise, bringing her hand to her busted lip.

The man turned, reaching down to pick up Lucy, who was sobbing and cradling her red cheek. "I'd rather go to jail for life than have you hit her again. Just try me, bitch."

Michelle glared heatedly and then looked up as Layla came into the house.

The brown haired woman glared, "You idiot! Not only did you reveal yourself to that girl…but now you have a fat mouth…" she shook her head, "What will you sat to Mark?"

Michelle's eyes suddenly widened in worry, "…Oh, shit…"

Layla stayed silent for a couple of minutes before she smirked. "This could be used to our advantage..."

Michelle blinked but after hearing her friend's plan, the purple smirk came back onto her face.

"…I love it."

_**{I.V.V.}**_

Jeff swung on the porch, eyes half-lidded as he watched the wind flow through the trees. Green leaves flittered down the branches, floating towards the lake, probably. He closed his eyes, feeling the breeze pick up.

Matt had rounded up everyone in the house and they all went to the store, to give Jeff some space. Michelle had gone to the library for a few hours, leaving Jeff all alone. He ended up falling asleep on the swing, the soft breeze lulling him to sleep.

He must have been brought back into his room because the next thing he knew, he was waking up to the eighth day. He released a soft sigh, moving to get up. Something constricted around his hips and he sucked in a quick breath, looking down to find a tattooed arm around his stomach.

"Still early," the husky voice murmured into his hair, "go back to sleep."

"Mark," Jeff whispered. He felt Mark's mouth against the back of his neck and felt the older man's hard cock brush against his ass.

He closed his eyes as Mark's mouth opened to suck on the back of his neck. He bit his bottom lip as Mark's teeth bit down on the area, sucking hard. He exhaled in surprise as he was moved to his back, the older man on top of him.

Jeff cracked his eyes open to see Mark's mouth coming towards his own. He turned his head, hissing as Mark kissed and nipped at the corner of his mouth. His chin was grabbed roughly, turning him to face his ex-husband.

Mark's mouth crashed down on his, their teeth hitting with force. He tightened his grip on Jeff's chin as he tried pulling away. He forced his tongue into the younger man's mouth, sucking the smaller tongue back into his own mouth and molesting it as he would the boy's tight hole.

Jeff let out a muffled moan as his arms went around Mark's neck. He could help it…Mark always was an amazing kisser and his body hadn't had any pleasure for years…it was almost too much to even kiss.

Mark sat back on his knees, forcing Jeff's knees open. He reached down, pressing the head of his cock at that unprepared hole. He blinked in surprise as Jeff shut his knees hard.

"Don't you fucking dare," Jeff squeaked, teeth gritted as Mark re-opened his legs. The large hands were pressed hard against his inner thighs, the fingers digging deep to leave bruises in his pale skin.

"Mark, I want nothing to do with you-" he gasped sharply as his body was thrust into. He groaned in pain, his knees curling up against Mark's chest, "You fucking bastard…" he winced in pain as that large cock slid deeper inside him, tearing him apart further.

"Fuck, you're tighter than I remember…" Mark breathed, his eyes locked on Jeff's. He missed the way Jeff's body felt around him. He always was insanely tight…and so magnificently beautiful.

"That's because I haven't let anyone fuck me since you _left_ me!" Jeff screeched, "Get off me, you untrusting creep!"

Mark sighed, leaning down to gently press his lips against Jeff's. He sucked on the younger man's bottom lip, sucking it into his mouth and biting down on it lightly, "I'm sorry," he murmured against that pouty mouth, "I'm sorry I didn't listen to you."

He began to thrust, his hands keeping Jeff's wrists pinned to the bed. His hard cock slipped in and out of that tight hole, exiting to the tip before plunging back inside, the way Jeff used to like it. His spirits lifted when Jeff's mouth parted in a loud mewl of pleasure.

"God…" Jeff whined, "I hate you so fucking much…" he arched his back, feeling Mark's hands grab onto his shoulders and pull him up. He straddled the older man's lap and placed his knees on the bed, slowly moving up and down on Mark's hard dick. He moved up, gasping in pleasure as his tight walls hugged every inch of that throbbing cock, and then sunk back down, his head falling back as quiet sobs of pleasure left his throat.

"I know you do…and I don't blame you for that." Mark engaged Jeff in a kiss again, their tongue battling against each others. He could feel Jeff's nails sliding down his shoulders and his back.

Jeff's tears streaked down his face, wetting Mark's cheeks. "I gave you everything," he whispered, voice breaking. "I loved you." He began to move up and down faster, gritted his teeth as Mark's hand closed around his cock, "I gave myself to you for better or worst…"

He let out a wail of pleasure as he came against Mark's stomach; feeling the older man thrust up harder and then a rush of wet heat enter his body. He panted against the older man, eyes closing.

"I trusted you…"

Three hours later, covered in sweat, tears, and cum, both were locked in a tight embrace, Mark's arms wrapped around Jeff's waist, holding him tight. His fingers moved to Jeff's lips, tracing the swollen mouth.

"Forgive me."

"…I…" Jeff faltered, turning his head down.

"I want to be with you."

"You're with Michelle."

"…"

"Does she make you feel like I make you feel?" Jeff whispered, "Does she make you feel like…like you belong?"

"Jeff…"

He flushed, eyes going wide, as a rabid knocking on the door began. He tore himself away from Mark, tugging on the same jeans he had on yesterday, hastily pulling them up to his hips and holding onto them as he answered the door, hair falling into his eyes.

Shannon stared at him in surprise, "Jeff…?" he put his palm against the door, opening it wider to see Mark lying on his best friend's bed. He snarled, "You fucker! If you took advantage of him, I'll rip your tattoos off with my bare hands!" he moved to get inside but was stopped by Jeff.

"Shanny," Jeff murmured, his hair flushed against his face, "Please, no…" it was then when he noticed the tears in his friend's bright green eyes. Behind Shannon, Jeff could see Matt and Phil.

Matt with his eyes dark and Phil nearly hysteric, tears dribbling down his cheeks.

Jeff stared at them all, confused. "What's going on?" he stiffened in surprise as two cops came up the stairs.

They weren't Cena or Randy.

These were bigger, more intimidating. One had black hair slicked back against his neck and dark eyes. He had to be over six feet and he was well muscled. The other had long grayish hair pulled into a low pony-tail and he was even taller than the black haired man. He even looked taller than Mark…

"Mr. Hardy?" the dark haired male asked.

Jeff blinked, "Yes?" his eyes widened as they stepped forewords, turning him around and shoving him cheek-first against the wall. He cut his lip on his teeth and he let out a hiss of pain.

"You're being brought in for questioning, Mr. Hardy," the taller one told him, hand-cuffing his hands.

The heavy metal locked around his wrists, the weight dragging them down. "Questioning? For what?" Jeff found himself yelling.

"For the kidnapping of your daughter," the men told him in unison.

"_What?_" Jeff and Mark both yelled at the same time, Mark coming out of the room, leather pants up on his hips.

"We were told by Ms. McCool that you attacked her yesterday afternoon and confessed to her that you took your daughter and started this whole charade in an effort to keep her from Ms. McCool and her husband."

"Are you serious?" Jeff whispered, his eyes tearing.

He couldn't believe it.

He was the main suspect for his daughter's kidnapping…

"Do you have any idea how much of a bullshit lie that bitch told you!" Shannon screamed, being held back by Chris, "She's a fucking cunt and she's _lying!_"

"Her mouth is busted open, her eye is swollen shut and she has a cracked rib," the taller man growled in Shannon's direction. "You can clearly tell someone," his eyes turned to Jeff, "beat her."

"Why would…" Jeff swallowed hard, "Why would I kidnap my own baby?"

"That," the shorter cop whispered, "is what we want to know." They tugged him along, dragging him down to stairs and towards the cop car.

"You can't fucking do this!" Shannon screamed, as he and Matt raced down the stairs, "It's fucking insanity!"

Mark also came down but stopped when a hand grabbed his wrist. He turned around and his eyes widened. "Michelle…?"

Her right eye was indeed swollen, the other eye wet with tears. Her mouth was painted with a dark purple bruise and she had on a halter that revealed the bandage around her ribs. "Mark..." her arms wrapped around him, "he did it…yesterday…while you all were at the store. I came back from the library and he just went crazy…" she hiccupped, "he told me to leave…and I ran. I was so scared…the last thing I saw him do was sit on the porch swing."

Mark held her tight, closing his eyes as her little speech went through his head.

He _did_ find Jeff on the porch swing…and he _was _the only one who could have been in the house when Michelle came home.

"Mark, you fucking idiot!"

Mark winced as Shannon kicked at his knee. The smaller male was quickly carried off by Chris, screaming and howling.

"Do something! You know that Jeff wouldn't take Lucinda! You know it!" Phil cried, staring up at his old friend.

When Mark did nothing but stare at him, Phil's eyes narrowed. "…You're so fucked up." He quickly ran inside the house to find Damien, who had probably gotten scared with all the screaming.

Matt was talking to Jeff in hushed tones, kissing his tear-stained cheeks and glaring at the cops as they shoved Jeff inside the police car. The older Hardy watched the car drive off before grabbing his cell phone.

Mark could only hear pieces of the conversation.

"Jeff really needs you. You always were the only one who could help him out every time he needed it…yeah, I'm going to call Cena and Randy right now…I'll meet you down there, bye."

As Matt walked by him, the look in the older Hardy's eyes was enough to kill. "You," he said, pointing to Mark, "Stay the fuck away from my brother."

Mark closed his eyes, feeling his heart beat hard against his chest.

Why was everything so fucked up?

_**{I.V.V.}**_

_And we come to the main issue. XD._

_Anyone wanna guess on who Matt called? XD. Poor Jeff, man…it's like everything things are getting better for him…they FUCK up later on. _

_The other cops were Sting and Nash, by the way. XD._

_And Michelle was roughed up by Layla. (Don't ask, -_-...)_

_Love on!_


	8. Chapter 8

_Title: In Venere Veritas_

_Author: NeroAnne_

_Disclaimer: I don't own the following wrestlers. Do I wish? Oh yes. But do I own? Oh no. XD. I own Lucinda Larraine, that's all. The song, "In Venere Veritas" is by HIM._

_Summary: "In love, there is truth." They've been divorced for three years and want nothing to do with each other. They find themselves coming together when their daughter is kidnapped. Mark/Jeff, AU!_

_For: Slashdlite._

_{I.V.V.}_

_-The Questioning-_

"Do you know where your daughter is?"

"No." Jeff whispered, staring at the wall as the man behind the computer continued to ask him questions. He looked down at the little device on his finger, his mouth set in a firm line.

"Did you attack Ms. McCool?"

"I wish," Jeff murmured dryly.

"Please limit your answers to yes or no," the man said sternly.

Jeff sighed. "No."

The questions went on an on…lasting a complete forty five minutes. Jeff sat patiently as the man removed the clamp from his finger and rid him of the device. He narrowed his eyes as the man left without a word, leaving him in this room bearing nothing but a chair, table, and white walls.

He thought about Mark, his insides twisting. The man completely fell for Michelle's bullshit. Like he did the first time…

Jeff clenched his fists, eyes closing. '_No matter what goes on between us…I can't let it distract me. Why would Michelle come up with such a lie…unless…'_

His eyes looked to the door when it opened. He frowned, staring at the cops that brought him in.

The darker haired one was smirking. "Boy, you better hope you don't end up in jail." He turned to his partner, "He'll be spending all his time on a bed, against the wall, or even on the floor, won't he, Nash?"

"Indeed he would, Sting," Nash smirked. "The guards may even have a go at him. It isn't hard to believe…"

Jeff stood, taking steps back as they both began to walk closer to him. Soon enough, he ended up flat against the white wall, his eyes narrowing as the one called Sting pressed against him.

"How about we both give you a little preview of what's probably to come to you…" Sting murmured, reaching out to touch Jeff's cheek.

The door opened again, two other cops stepped in.

"Borden," Cena growled, eyes flashing, "get away from him."

Sting snickered, stepping away from the blonde. "Well, well, if it isn't the boy toys."

Randy remained apathetic, but Cena's eyes narrowed further. "Chief wants you in his office," Orton said calmly. "_Now_."

Nash smirked, "Oh, dear, what've we done now?"

Chuckling, both men turned to go, Sting halting back a moment to pat Jeff's cheek.

Once they left, Jeff moved close to John. "I didn't kidnap my own daughter." He said immediately.

"We know, Jeff," Randy said quietly. "The idea is mad…but Michelle came up with a good story. She's got bruises…it does look like someone beat her."

"I would love nothing more than to knock her head off," Jeff said seriously, "but I didn't put my hands on her."

"They'll figure that out once they get the result of the polygraph test," Cena muttered. He shook his head. "What I want to know is _why_ Michelle did it…what does she have to gain?"

"Oh, that's easy," Jeff growled, "She'll get Mark to doubt me again. Well, she's got it. He believed her lies again…even after we were intimate."

John looked over at him sharply, "You slept with him?"

Jeff hung his head. Slowly, he nodded. "…I never thought I'd feel him inside me again…and I tried to stop it…but in the end I gave in." He smiled sadly, "just like I gave in the first time."

"He fucked you and then sided with Michelle?" Randy asked, his voice rising.

Jeff sighed, "Can we please not discuss this right now…" he bit his bottom lip, "What's going to happen to me?"

"We'll get the results of the polygraph first," Cena murmured, "then we have to prove that Michelle is lying. As soon as we do that, you won't be faulted for anything and we could go back to looking for your daughter."

Jeff closed his eyes, shoulders slumping.

'_My dear baby…I hope you're alright.'_

_**{I.V.V.}**_

Lucy stared out the window, at the night sky.

She stared at the stars, pressing her little hands against the window. She looked over at the man who had been taking care of her. He was fast asleep, snoring softly.

She sniffed, thinking about Michelle and the slap. Her cheek was still pink…

Why had she been hit?

All she wanted was her momma…

Lucy jumped when someone knocked on the door. She turned, seeing Michelle standing there. She had bruises…

"Get away from the window!" Michelle snapped.

Lucy scrambled away from it, scared of being hurt again.

"Baby," Michelle sighed, eyes closing. "I'm so sorry I hit you…" she opened her arms, "Come to me, darling."

Lucy hesitated, but Michelle _was_ someone she knew…she wasn't a stranger…

She walked over to the woman, stepping into her arms. They embraced, Lucy not really feeling any love in the hug.

When they pulled apart, Lucy's eyes sparkled with curiosity, "What happened?" she asked, touching Michelle's busted face.

Michelle smiled, "Don't you worry about it. I'm fine." She looked over Lucy's form, her eyes resting on the anklet on Lucy's right ankle. "That's very pretty."

Lucy nodded, "Momma bought it for me."

This seemed to anger Michelle.

"Ah, I see…" she reached for it. "We'll have to get rid of it."

"Why?" Lucy asked, stepping away, "I like it."

She let out a squeak of pain as her thigh was pinched hard. She whimpered, her eyes filling with tears.

"We're getting rid of it because you have a new mommy now. You have me. You'll forget all about Jeff, do you hear me?"

Lucy was too afraid to answer. She nodded slowly, the tears dripping down her pale cheeks. She sniffed as Michelle snatched the anklet off.

Her lime eyes watched as Michelle slipped the anklet into her back pocket, before she left the room.

Lucy slowly made her way back to the window, staring at the sky again. She sobbed softly.

She didn't want to forget her momma…

_**{I.V.V.}**_

Jeff shifted, crossing his arms as he waited.

The results wouldn't be ready for another few hours…

Cena's two-way went off and he brought it up to his lips, speaking quietly. "Yeah…I hear ya. Alright." He looked to Jeff, grinning.

Jeff sat up, staring at him hopefully.

"Hunter is here."

Jeff breathed a sigh of relief, head falling into his hands.

Hunter had been his lawyer ever since Mark filed for divorce. He'd helped sort everything out and his husband was Jeff's mentor.

Randy entered the room again, this time with Hunter behind him.

The bigger man looked to Jeff and quickly moved towards him, "How are you doing?"

"Wonderful," Jeff said tiredly. He cradled his hand in his hands for a few seconds before looking up to his lawyer. "…I know where Lucy is."

John, Randy and Hunter all stared at him, stunned.

"Oh no, Jeff…you didn't…" Hunter trailed off, seeing the look in Jeff's eyes.

"No. I didn't take my own daughter," Jeff whispered. "But I know who did…and I need _you_ to provide the evidence."

Hunter nodded slowly, listening to what Jeff was saying.

By the time Jeff finished talking, it all made sense.

Kane showing up out of nowhere…Michelle claiming to have been attacked by Jeff…

"Don't you see?" Jeff murmured, eyes closing, "She had the perfect chance that night…when Matt took her to bed. She knew the area…she knew where she would be sleeping. True, she was with us the whole time…but I _know_ that she had help."

He shook his head, "Michelle was always envious of two things. The first: The fact that I had Mark. The second: The fact that I could give birth to a beautiful daughter…and that she can't."

"The woman is evil…but she's clever. She has Lucinda. I know she does."

They all looked up again as the chief walked in.

He had a calculating look on his face. Finally, he spoke. "You were telling the truth," he told Jeff, who merely snorted. "…Now, the question is…who attacked Michelle and why-"

"Who gives a fuck?" Jeff suddenly screamed, standing up and tugging at his hair.

"For all I care, the bitch could be _dead_ for what she's put me through! _She_ has my daughter, _she_ beat herself up, _she_ turned my own husband against me, and _she_ fucking ruined my life!"

Hunter stood, placing a hand on Jeff's shoulder.

The chief stared at the young blonde in consternation, his fingers pressed up against his heart. "…"

Jeff's shoulders sagged, "We…need to get to her…before she does something else. I can feel it…something is going to happen. All I want is my daughter…she's only five…she has her whole life ahead of her."

He clenched his fists, "And I assure you…that if something happens to my Lucy…if I find out that she's hurt or worse…no one will stop me from grabbing that bitch…and choking the life out of her."

Jeff was breathing hard, his cheeks red and wet with tears.

The chief swallowed with difficulty, "…You're sure it was her?"

Jeff nodded slowly, "…I know it was."

The man nodded and turned to John and Randy, "Drive them to the house. Wait outside in a disguised car and you bring in anyone who looks suspicious. We need to find this little girl."

John and Randy nodded, "Yes, sir," they said in unison.

Jeff felt himself being tugged by the arm, out of the room and towards the exit.

He swallowed hard, feeling his heart beat faster.

'_You'll be fine, Lucy…I'm coming for you…'_

They entered the police car, and sped to the house.

Not knowing they were being followed.

_**{I.V.V.}**_

Michelle slipped into the house quietly, trying not to draw any attention.

She was making her way up to Jeff's room, where she had left Mark sleeping. She'd slipped another one of the pills into his drink and it was just about time for him to be waking up.

"Hey, there, bitch."

Michelle jerked in surprise, twisting around to see Shannon.

The man was glaring, green eyes flashing like a demon.

He stepped close to Michelle, causing her to step back. This made Shannon snicker, "Afraid? You fucking should be. I'm going to hurt you, bitch, and I'm gonna make you _regret_ telling so much bullshit lies."

Before Shannon could lunge at her, large arms wrapped around his waist and tossed him back roughly.

Shannon grunted as his head smacked against the opposite wall. He looked up to see Mark glaring down at him and smirked. "Oh, good, you're awake. I can fuck you up too." He stood, dusting off his clothes, "Tell me, Mark…" he began casually, "is the reason you've been sleeping so much because you're tired…or is it because Michelle has been drugging you?"

Michelle went pale before she hissed, "You lying little shit! I would never do such a thing!" she didn't like the way Mark was looking at her.

Shannon took something out of his back pocket, waving it in her direction.

The pills…

Mark grunted as Shannon slapped him with the little bottle. He took the container away form the smaller man, his eyes reading it over. Clenching it tightly, he turned to Michelle. "…"

"He's lying," Michelle said at once. "He's obviously sticking up for Jeff."

"They were in your purse," Shannon said smoothly, "but_ I_ didn't find them, so you _can't_ say I was trying to defend Jeff," he smirked, "we have someone else for that."

Michelle heard footsteps. She turned her head, seeing Matt, Phil, Chris…and another man.

"Shawn found them," Shannon said, smirking wider. "You may not know him. He's Jeff's mentor." With that being said, Shannon shoved Michelle over, smirking as her body smacked the ground.

Something small flew out of her back pocket, landing a few feet away from her.

Michelle swallowed with difficulty and looked to Kane, whose eyes were focused on the thing that had fallen to the ground.

Her eyes widened in realization. She didn't even have to look to know what was on the floor.

Before anyone could see, she tried to grab it and slip it back into her pocket.

Her arm was grabbed roughly just as her hand closed around the item.

Matt pulled her wrist closer, prying her hand open and taking a good look at the jewelry. His eyes went wide, "That's Lucy's anklet!"

Michelle swallowed hard, seeing all eyes turn to her. She looked over at Kane again, but was shocked to find him gone.

'_Oh, you bastard…'_

She was alone.

And she was caught.

She let out a gasp of pain as she was lifted up by her hair, Shannon gripping handfuls of it and using it to shake her around.

"You tell me where my god-daughter is!" he yelled, slamming her against the wall. "Tell me now!"

Michelle bit her tongue, staying silent. She glared at the much smaller man, her knee rising up.

Shannon gasped in pain, sliding down to his knees. He grabbed his aching crotch, gritting his teeth. "Oh, you bitch…" he struck his other fist out, hitting her in the abdomen. He waited until she fell forewords before clenching his fist again.

He was about to strike her again, when his wrist was grabbed.

"What?" Shannon yelled, "Even after the proof is in your face, you take her side?"

Mark merely lifted Shannon away from the woman, "No," he said calmly, "but we need her alive. If you kill her, how are we to find Lucy?"

Shannon glared, "You act so calm," he spat. "This is your _daughter _we're talking about! Do you even care?"

"He does…"

Everyone turned, seeing Hunter walk in and right behind him…

"Jeff," Matt said softly. He hurried to his brother's side, cupping his cheek and kissing his forehead.

Jeff fell into his brother's embrace, hugging him tight. He looked at Mark from over Matt's shoulder, his eyes dull.

"He cares. He's just stupid…" Jeff looked to Michelle, eyes darkening. "You can't even try to hide it anymore. Randy and Cena got Kane. They know…and most importantly…_I _know."

He was stunned to see the smile forming on Michelle's face.

"…Did you know about the other accomplice's I had…?"

Jeff felt something cold against the material of his tank top. He stiffened, feeling Matt's arms tighten around him.

…Someone had a gun to his back.

"Let go of him," the voice said calmly.

Kane…

But how…?

Matt slowly released Jeff, keeping his brown eyes on the gun. He took a few steps back, feeling Phil's fist clench against the back of his shirt.

Michelle chuckled, standing slowly. "I'm sure Officers Nash and Borden have taken care of Cena and Orton…"

Jeff watched her, feeling Kane's arm come around his neck, holding him tightly as the gun pressed harder against his back. He winced, watching Michelle come closer to him.

She stopped directly in front of him and raised her hand.

Jeff's face turned to the side with the force of her slap. He sucked on his cheek, tasting the blood. He could hear Shannon cursing and he moved his eyes to see the woman who took Lucy's information…Layla, standing at the door, a gun in her hand too.

"Let's take a ride, Jeff," Michelle said softly. "I'll take you to your daughter…" she turned to Mark, whose eyes were on Kane. "You too. Lucy will be able to witness the death of her parents…or better yet…" She turned back to Jeff, smiling sadistically.

"She'll get to see her mother's pretty face…go to hell."

_**{I.V.V.}**_

_And the shit hits the fan, XD._

_Yeah, things are unraveling pretty quick. This is probably gonna end up being ten chapters. _

_Just to clear any air, Michelle's accomplice's are: Layla, Heidenreich, Kane, Sting, and Nash._

_Everyone else is with Jeff._

_By Shawn being Jeff's mentor, I mean in the book-sense._


	9. Chapter 9

_Title: In Venere Veritas_

_Author: NeroAnne_

_Disclaimer: I don't own the following wrestlers. Do I wish? Oh yes. But do I own? Oh no. XD. I own Lucinda Larraine, that's all. The song, "In Venere Veritas" is by HIM._

_Summary: "In love, there is truth." They've been divorced for three years and want nothing to do with each other. They find themselves coming together when their daughter is kidnapped. Mark/Jeff, AU!_

_For: Slashdlite._

_{I.V.V.}_

It was sometime after midnight when they were driven to some abandoned old place and Mark and Jeff were both led out, guns pointed to their temples; Jeff being led in by Michelle and Kane, and Mark by Sting and Layla.

Nash stayed behind, watching over Randy and Cena. He'd handcuffed them both and had them kneeling at his feet.

The door opened and Jeff grunted as he was shoved onto the ground. He felt Kane slide down next to him, the bigger man's knee against the small of his back. He could feel a large hand slide up his shirt, to rub at his left shoulder.

He bit his tongue to keep quiet, eyes closing tightly.

"Hm? No pleas to stop?" Kane whispered in wonder, moving his hand up to the back of Jeff's neck.

"What good will it do?" Jeff asked dryly, "You've got your knee on my back…and a gun to my temple." He glanced up as Michelle's heel came into view.

"I think he's just finally admitting how much he's always wanted you, Kane."

Jeff didn't bother to reply. He grunted as he was pulled up roughly, his feet leaving the floor for a few seconds. He bit his lips as his hands were pulled behind him, something hard and cold wrapping around his wrists.

He was shoved again against the wall, his body slowly sliding down to a sitting position. He winced, feeling his head throb with pain. He forced his eyes open as Kane began to call someone's name.

"Heidenreich!" Kane yelled, looking around the house.

Mark stared over at his brother in surprise. "Heidenreich?" he murmured, confused.

"Who's that?" Jeff asked, looking back at his ex-husband.

"He was from a rival crew…" Mark murmured thoughtfully, "He and I got along fairly well-"

"But he wanted more," Michelle piped up, smiling. "He wanted you the same way I wanted you. Only I got you," she caressed Mark's cheek, "and I'm not going to lose you."

Jeff made a noise in the back of his throat which resulted in Michelle striking out at him. He felt her heel kick into his chest and he gasped, doubling over in pain. He swallowed back a groan, pulling his knees up to his chest.

"…Heidenreich isn't here," Kane said as he came back, eyes narrowed.

"What?" Michelle screeched, whirling around to face the large male, "What about my daughter?"

"Gone," Kane answered shortly.

Jeff felt his heart stop.

Now, the kidnappers didn't even know where Lucinda was.

'_Please…let her be safe…'_

Michelle growled lowly, "Damn that fucker." She began to pace around, lips pursed in thought. "…It's too fucking late to do anything right now. We'll wait till morning. If he's truly playing hero, then he'll come back." She turned to Kane, smiling darkly, "Time for me to repay you for helping me."

She nodded to Jeff, "Pick any room, keep him with you for the rest of the night…and fuck him till he tears."

Kane smirked, noticing the look on his brother's face. "And him?"

Michelle smiled, "I'll keep him plenty busy."

Jeff gasped as he was hauled up by the collar of his shirt. He grunted as Kane effortlessly tossed him over a shoulder. He let out a muffled, "oomph" as his tummy connected with the hard shoulder. He shuddered, feeling Kane's hand on his ass.

"Let go!" Jeff growled, kicking his legs hard. This only got him a hard squeeze on his left ass cheek. He stilled as the gun pressed against the back of his thigh, right near his ass.

"Calm down, or there'll be a bullet up that pretty ass of yours," Kane growled lowly, his left hand gripping Jeff's calf and his right pressing the gun harder against him.

Jeff's shoulders sagged and he stared seven feet down at the ground, eyes tearing slightly. He was tired of crying, but what else could he do?

"Kane," Mark growled, struggling against his own handcuffs, "I promise you that if you hurt him, I'll-" his voice died out as Michelle's hand slapped against his left cheek. Eyes darkening, he turned his head back to the blonde, "Bitch, you go too far."

Michelle couldn't help but smile sadly, "What changed, Mark? We've been happy for three years, and then, we come to see _our_ daughter and things start getting bad. Tell me what happened? Did you fall for that slutty charm of his again? Did you just happen to forget he cheated on you?"

Jeff could hear the bitch and he gnashed his teeth together, wishing so badly that he could grab her platinum blonde hair and use it to slam her face into the floor. He stared at the ground as Kane moved into an empty room, and he grunted as he was dropped unceremoniously onto the bed.

The handcuffs bit into his wrists and he arched at the uncomfortable feeling. He could feel an odd stirring in the pit of his stomach and he groaned in discomfort. He swallowed hard as he felt Kane's weight atop him.

"Why can't you just love me?" Kane murmured, actually sounding a bit sad. His hand cupped Jeff's cheek, stroking the pale skin gently.

"Because you fucked up everything," Jeff murmured in reply, "You and that bitch, Michelle. Kane, you took away all the things that made me happy, starting with Mark…and ending with Lucy. Please," he whispered, staring deeply into the older man's eyes, "…tell me where my daughter is."

"Can't," Kane replied quietly, "I don't know where Heidenreich took her…" he stared deeply into Jeff's emerald eyes. "…So beautiful," he murmured, more to himself than to Jeff. He leaned close, his mouth inches away from Jeff's.

"Kane…don't," Jeff pleaded, trying to turn his head away. He made an odd sound as Kane's mouth covered his entirely, the sloppy kiss causing his eyes to close tightly. He could feel tears begin to slide down the corners of his eyes and he whimpered in pain as the cuffs on his wrists dug into his back, Kane's weight falling down on him heavily.

"I just want to love you," Kane breathed, teeth nipping at Jeff's lips as he spoke. He moved his large hands down to Jeff's pants, gripping the top of the material and pulling it down roughly, his thumb-nails searing down Jeff's pale skin, painting it a slight red.

Jeff swallowed, feeling the sting of the scratches, "My pain is not love," he whispered to the big male, eyes wet.

Jeff couldn't help the sobs that left his throat as the man paid him no mind, continuing to undress him. Sooner than he liked, he was naked for the man to see. He felt those hands pry his thighs open, to stare at his pucker. He flushed and turned his head to the left, staring at the white wall.

His eyes dulled as he felt the blunt head of Kane's cock at his hole. He swallowed thickly and shut his eyes as Kane pulled his hips back…and then reared forewords.

_-In another room-_

Layla jumped as Jeff's scream echoed throughout the house. Her brown eyes widened as the scream rose to an octave she didn't even know Jeff was capable of. Someone could have heard that…

She turned to Mark, who had been tied to a chair, his hands cuffed tightly in front of him. His bulging arms were shaking, the veins noticeable as his entire body trembled. Even his legs were shaking…

A low growl came from the man's throat, the sound causing Layla to shudder. His head was bent towards the ground, dark hair curtaining his face.

"I'm going to kill all of you," Mark spoke in a low undertone, the sentence promising a painful death.

Layla looked to Michelle and Sting, who were lounging around on a couch pressed against the farthest wall of the room. The blonde woman's lips pulled into a smile, "No you won't. You won't kill me, you love me."

"You're the first one I'm going to kill," Mark rumbled, lifting his head to stare unblinkingly into Michelle's eyes. "You cost me too much. You lied to me. You made me lose Jeff…and my daughter. You're going to be buried in the fucking dirt…and my piss will be the only thing watering your grave."

Michelle blinked slowly at this, seemingly unfazed. "…Well," she began sarcastically; "Don't have to get disgusting."

She stood, walking with her head held high over to Mark. She kneeled at his feet, looking up at him. Her hand trailed to his crotch, stroking it lightly. "I really did love you, Mark," she said slowly. "I loved you. I wanted you back then…when we had the crew…but you fell in love with some stringy-haired whore. You knew I wanted you, also…you even promised yourself to me once."

Before Mark could open his mouth to protest, Michelle's hand closed tightly around his cock. He swallowed back a grunt of pain and glared down at the female.

"…When I finally had you with me, I thought that would be enough. But no…I wanted a child. You gave one to Jeff…I thought it only be right you give me one, too. And then, you couldn't do it. I wanted a child so terribly. More than I ever wanted you, that's for sure." She eased her grip on his cock.

"Bitch, how is it _my_ fault that you couldn't get pregnant?" Mark hissed.

"I loved you when you would talk to me about Lucy," Michelle went on, eyes lighting up in memory. "When you first told me about fighting for sole custody, I was ecstatic…until I saw the look in your eyes; the look that so clearly told me that you didn't want to go through with that plan."

She smiled wickedly, his fingers trailing over Mark's balls as another of Jeff's screams echoed throughout the house. It was causing the man to tense and she knew it. "Kane's never fucked Jeff before," she whispered, "Sounds like he's making up for time lost. When I told him about the plan, he was more than willing to do it. He's always wanted Jeff, you know."

"Now, Heidenreich was a bit harder to convince," she drawled, eyes flashing, "I had to tell him you were single and that you were using me just for sex. He didn't believe it at first but when you're blinded by love, you learn to believe anything. And so, the day of Damien's party, he waited inside a parked car…and once I gave him the okay that Lucy was up in bed, he climbed up a ladder…to the window…and took her right out of bed."

Michelle giggled as Mark snarled, "Now, now, no reason to be too upset…he _did_ regret it immediately afterwards. He saw the pain you and that Hardy slut were going through…he even tried convincing me to give her back a couple of times, but I couldn't do it. I'll find Heidenreich…and I'll get my daughter back."

At the end of her little spiel she brought her hand down in two hard, quick slaps against Mark's right cheek.

Sting blinked lazily from his position on the couch. He didn't care much for Michelle's story; he'd been trying to listen to Jeff's wails of pain and cries of agony. It was hot.

He had to give the woman her props though.

She was a complete and utter sociopath…

And a real bitch.

_**{I.V.V.}**_

_-Hours later; 7:30-_

Shannon sipped on his fourth cup of coffee, staring at the sun as it rose. His eyes were rimmed with dark circles…and red from crying so much.

"Shan…"

The blonde looked up slowly, eyes focusing on the dark Hardy. "Matt…" his voice broke, eyes tearing all over again. He rushed into the older man's arms, burying his face into Matt's neck.

Matt inhaled sharply, feeling his own eyes moisten. He wrapped his arms around his friend's back, hugging tight.

"Why are we just standing here?" Shannon whined, "Why can't we go look for them?"

"Michelle is holding them hostage," Matt whispered, "She could hurt them if we try to go…and we don't even know where they went."

Shannon stepped away from Matt, running his hands over his eyes. "…" he shoved his hands into his pockets. "…I'm going to go watch home videos."

"That'll only depress you more," Matt called out, watching Shannon walk into the living room where Phil and Damien were fast asleep on the couch.

Matt sighed, leaning across the island and lowering his head onto his arms. He sniffed, swallowing hard as thoughts of his baby brother filled his head.

'_Protect him, mama…'_

He sighed, getting up and heading outside. He walked down to the lake, remembering only a week and some days ago…when he was teaching Lucy how to swim. He closed his eyes, her laughter ringing in his head.

He sighed and moved to turn back towards Jeff house when he stopped. He stared down at the wooden floor of the dock, seeing the wet shoe-prints on the boards. He followed them with his eyes slowly, until they stopped abruptly, the shoes coming into view.

Matt's eyes trailed up from the white sneakers…to legs incased in wet jeans…a torso and chest…and finally.

Matt sucked in a deep breath, staring up at the man standing around ten feet away from him. He was tall, with light colored hair and a bundle wrapped tightly in his arms. The bundle was shaking, jerking sporadically.

The bundle had wet, blonde curls.

"…Please," the man whispered, eyes focused on Matt, "You could kill me or call the police later…she needs help. Her inhaler, I think it slipped out of her pocket while I was swimming."

"Lucinda," Matt finally breathed, knees buckling at the sight of his niece.

_**{I.V.V.}**_

_-8:15 a.m.-_

Jeff's legs slid off of Kane's shoulders, his body lying limb. He breathed hard, eyes red and wet. He winced in pain as Kane pulled out of him, the older man panting as the rest of his release covered Jeff's stomach.

His wrists felt raw and so did the spot in his back where the cuffs were grinding against him. He didn't know how long Kane had been raping him for…but it felt like days. His back hurt, his head hurt, his heart hurt, everything hurt.

Slowly, his eyes closed, exhaustion finally becoming too powerful.

Kane watched him, slowly stepping away from the smaller man. He stepped into his pants, looking up as Michelle entered the room.

She was smirking, looking so fucking haggard. "Have fun? How long did you fuck him?"

"All night long," Kane answered honestly. "Has Heidenreich come back?"

Michelle's features twisted into a scowl. "No, he hasn't. But that's alright…we'll keep them here till he _does_ return."

Kane frowned, watching the woman leave the room. He turned back to Jeff and his frown fell. He cupped the blonde's cheek, smiling lightly. He liked having the pale blonde to himself…

In the back of his mind, though, he wondered how long it would be till Heidenreich tried to play hero again.

-_Downstairs-_

Mark's eyes felt heavy, but damn it, he was not going to fall asleep!

He'd stayed up all night listening to Jeff's screams of pain…and Kane's loud grunts of pleasure.

'_Sick fuck. How could you? Your own brother in law...' _Mark winced a bit, remembering that he and Jeff were divorced. '_…Jeff isn't Kane's brother in law…not anymore. No...I didn't believe Jeff. I didn't trust him…I listened to Michelle…and left Jeff all alone.'_

The overwhelming feeling of guilt was eating away at him, making his heart ache painfully. He sighed softly, shifting his position on the chair. The ties holding him were cutting into his arms, causing them to leave stinging slashes.

There were so many thoughts running through his mind and he looked up as Kane came downstairs. He shot him a dark glare, teeth gnashed together tightly. "Son of a bitch," he growled, "you raped him."

Kane didn't respond. He made his way to another room, slipping inside. The sound of rummaging could be heard.

Mark's lime eyes flashed when he noticed a wet towel in Kane's hand as the big man came out of the room. "You made him _bleed_?"

Again, he was ignored by his brother.

Mark muttered curses to himself, eyes shut tight. His knee bounced up and down, anxiety getting to him.

'_Oh, Jeff…I'm so sorry…'_

_**{I.V.V.}**_

_-2:30 p.m.-_

Matt sobbed into his hands, trying hard to not make a sound.

Lucy was lying on a hospital bed, tubes shoved inside her little nose, and her mouth. An IV was attached to her left hand, her entire body pale.

She'd suffered a bad asthma attack and still had not opened her eyes.

Shannon was on the other side of the hospital bed, his head resting on it, shoulders quaking as Shawn prayed silently besides him.

Hunter had taken the man who had brought them Lucy, and was talking to him about where Jeff and Mark were, trying to get the man to talk.

"Daddy," Damien whimpered, tugging on Matt's pant leg.

Matt straightened, wiping his cheeks vigorously before looking down at his son.

"Is Lucy gonna die?" the eight year old whispered, eyes wide and wet with tears.

Matt pulled Damien onto his lap, burying his face against his son's hair. "…No, Damian. She's not going to die."

'_Please…don't let her die…she's needed. Jeff needs her. Mark needs her…please, God, please let us keep her.'_

-_12:20 a.m.-_

Kane frowned, staring down at Jeff's unmoving body.

The blonde had been asleep for over eleven hours…

Kane hesitantly cupped Jeff's cheek, hoping his touch would somehow wake Jeff.

It didn't work.

Standing up now, Kane paced back and forth a bit before moving a hand to Jeff's neck.

There was a pulse…

Jeff was alive…but why wasn't he waking up?

He went downstairs, telling Michelle what was happening.

"Who gives a shit?" she mumbled, eyes closed as she tried to sleep. "You wore the bitch out. He hasn't had any dick in the past three years, remember? He's probably just tired."

"You're wrong there."

Both Kane and Michelle turned their heads to Mark, who was smirking lightly over at Kane. "I fucked Jeff just hours before he was taken off to the police station."

Kane's nostrils flared. He let loose a growl and stalked towards his brother.

Only to be stopped by Michelle.

"Simmer down, Burns," she teased, eyes darkening. "He's just trying to get us worked up."

"I'm not," Mark said calmly, "I made love to Jeff just minutes before that dipshit over there," he nodded his head to Sting, who merely grinned, "and the other cop came and took him. I missed it too. He was so tight, unlike you," he told Michelle, enjoying the way her fists clenched.

Kane's shoulders quaked with anger and he growled lowly to himself. Before he could say anything, Michelle patted his chest.

"…Do whatever you want to him…only after I've had my share," Michelle said, her dark eyes focusing on Mark.

Kane obeyed, moving to sit down on the couch next to Sting, eyes glued to Mark.

Mark felt his head coil to the right at the stinging slap, and then another landed on his right cheek. He gritted his teeth as the woman lifted her foot to stomp down on his member.

He took it in stride, thinking only one thought the entire time.

'_As long as they're not hurting Jeff…'_

_-12:35-_

Jeff's eyes snapped open.

He heard an odd noise…

Looking around wearily, he noticed that Kane wasn't anywhere to be seen. He could hear grunts coming from downstairs and laughter…

He could make out Michelle's aggravating laugh…and Mark's grunts of pain.

Closing his eyes a bit, Jeff turned onto his side, curled his knees up and forced himself into a kneeling position.

Shaking off the thoughts of going downstairs, Jeff turned to the source of the noise. His eyes zeroed in on Kane's pants…

A phone.

Kane's cell phone was ringing…

_**{I.V.V.}**_

_Don't hound me about Kane leaving his cell phone in his pants. XD! That's how a lot of criminals get caught…STUPID criminals, sure…but eh. XD._

_I think maybe two chapters left._

_Or one…_

_I dunno. XD. Whatever happens, happens._

_SLASHDLITE! FEEL BETTER! I LUFF YOU. _


	10. Chapter 10

_Title: In Venere Veritas_

_Author: NeroAnne_

_Disclaimer: I don't own the following wrestlers. Do I wish? Oh yes. But do I own? Oh no. XD. I own Lucinda Larraine, that's all. The song, "In Venere Veritas" is by HIM._

_Summary: "In love, there is truth." They've been divorced for three years and want nothing to do with each other. They find themselves coming together when their daughter is kidnapped. Mark/Jeff, AU!_

_For: Slashdlite._

_{I.V.V.}_

_Note: Pay some attention to the times in this one. A lot of what happened, happened before something else._

-_12:40-_

Jeff swallowed thickly, glancing at the door every few seconds.

He knew Kane wouldn't be able to hear the ringing, seeing as it was only a dull vibration that was meant to be felt rather than heard, but he was still afraid the man would walk into the door any minute now.

He gritted his teeth in pain. Any movement he made was sending a jolt of pain right up his spine. Slowly, he sat up on the edge of the bed, biting hard onto his bottom lip as ripples of pain ran through his body.

He slid himself slowly off the bed, using the covers to break his fall. He shuffled forewords on his knees, moving quickly towards the dark colored pants. He turned slightly, using his cuffed hands to rummage through the pants.

Jeff moved the pants around, his heart beating rapidly as he heard the light thud of the phone falling out of Kane's pants. He turned his head, staring at the vibrating phone. He used his hands again to flip the phone open and he strummed his fingers along the buttons, letting out a relieved grunt as the voice on the other line began to speak.

Jeff shifted onto his side, pressing his ear to the phone.

"…_Bout time you answered, big man," _The voice of Nash drawled out from the phone. _"I've still got Cena and Orton under my watchful eye, but I gotta be honest with you, I don't like being out of the loop. What's going on in the house? Send Heidenreich out here to watch these two so I could come in."_

Nash was oblivious to anything that was going on inside…

Jeff held his breath as Nash began to talk again.

"_Hello? Dammit, Kane, answer me-"_

Jeff quickly flipped the phone shut, groaning under his breath.

An odd noise once again reached his ears. It sounded like scuffling around, and then something heavy falling onto the stairs…before the unmistakable thudding of feet reached his senses.

Someone was coming upstairs…

He held his breath, slowly crawling backwards so that his back was to the bed; he moved his hands around, bringing his knees up. He slid his cuffed wrists over his feet, wondering minutely why he hadn't done this earlier, and with his hands now cuffed in front of him, Jeff was able to grab the phone once more before he moved his arms up, pulling them back, phone clenched tightly in his left hand.

He closed his eyes tightly as the door creaked open…and threw the phone at the person, not bothering to open his eyes and see who it was.

_-Downstairs; 12:30-_

Mark grunted as Kane's fist slammed into his cheek one final time. His head lowered, lips parting so that he could spit blood onto the floor. He could feel his left eye, right cheek, and lower lip throbbing in pain.

On top of all that, Michelle, being the sinister bitch that she was, had kicked him hard enough to bruise his ribs with her heels. She'd also given him a few good slaps the face and a nice kick to his balls.

He craned his neck, glancing up as Kane and Michelle entered the kitchen. What the hell for, he didn't care. He was just glad they weren't going upstairs to Jeff. His head turned to Sting, who was asleep on the couch.

What fucking time was it? Layla had gone outside, telling Michelle that she would be going to buy some supplies but that felt like so long ago. It felt as if they'd been in the house for close to three days already…

Mark swallowed thickly, legs crossing. He could feel his lower half tingling and he groaned in annoyance. Looking to Sting, Mark began to toe off the shoe on his right foot, making sure to balance it on his toes once he got his ankle out of it. Aiming carefully, he swung his foot, watching the heavy boot hit Sting in the arm.

The cop jumped, almost falling out of the couch. He looked around for a few seconds before looking to Mark, seeing as he was the only other person in the room, "The fuck do you want?" he groused, running his hands over his face.

Mark frowned, "I need to piss."

"Bummer," Sting sneered before he sighed, "But, if you do piss on yourself, I don't want to be the one to clean it up…" he stood, moving towards the kitchen to let Michelle know what he was going to do.

Mark tilted his head as a thud sounded from upstairs. He felt his stomach churn, and he hoped that Jeff was alright. He turned his attention back to Sting, who was exiting the kitchen and walking towards him.

He crossed his legs as Sting began to untie the ropes on him, making sure to leave his hands in cuffs. He stood as Sting grabbed his elbow, leading him to the bathroom at the far end of the hallway.

Mark sighed, rolling his eyes to the ceiling. They had reached the bathroom, and Sting was standing behind him, waiting for him to go. "In case your eyes aren't working properly, my hands happen to be cuffed and I'm not able to pull down my zipper."

Sting twitched, staring at the zipper. "Shit, I'm not touching you there. Fuck that." He seemed torn though, not knowing what to do. "Damn." He turned his back on Mark, reaching for his two-way.

Mark watched him carefully, keeping the cop in his line of vision. He tried to fight back the feeling of wanting to piss, listening out for anything important that Sting might say. He was trying so hard to listen and to his surprise, he actually heard something come from upstairs.

It was very quiet and it sounded muffled also. Almost like someone was opening a door…and then…

The sound of something breaking above them caused Sting to look up, momentarily distracted by the sound. Mark took the chance.

He swung his cuffed fists around, knocking them roughly against Sting's cheek. The harsh impact his knuckles made against the soft skin of the cops cheek caused Mark to wince slightly.

Sting stumbled against the bathroom's sink, his two-way clattering to the ground, sending a loud wave of static throughout the hallway.

"What the hell!" came Michelle's loud cry from the kitchen before the sound of feet running across the floor caught his attention.

Mark quickly made a run for the stairs, but it was awkward, with only one boot on. He made it to the stairs and looked up. He stopped, his eyes going wide. He barely had time to register what he saw before Kane tackled him, both of the large men falling onto the first few steps of the stairs.

Michelle's heels sounded throughout the house as she headed over to them. Her eyes looked up to the stairs and she smirked. "I knew you'd come back."

Heidenreich stood at the top of the stairs, his fingers curled around a gun, a gun that was aimed at them. He looked older than Mark remembered, the lines around his mouth deeper.

"Let him go," Heidenreich ordered softly, keeping the gun aimed high.

"You really think you're going to scare me, John?" Michelle asked, eyes going wide just for show. "You're not. I'm the one who came up with this plan. I'm not backing down." She pulled out her own gun, whipping it in Mark's direction, "Where's my daughter?"

"Lucinda Larraine is not your daughter, Michelle," Heidenreich spoke calmly. "She belongs to Jeff and Mark. Not you."

Michelle snorted, "Don't talk to me as if I'm retarded, Heidenreich." She pressed the gun to Mark's temple, leaning down to reach him better. "Just tell me where she is. If you do, I'll let you have Mark…and we can just take care of Jeff ourselves."

Mark stiffened at this, looking up to Heidenreich's eyes. The man looked as if he was falling for the lies…

'_Don't fall for it…don't…'_

Heidenreich grinned, "He's already been taken care of."

Mark's heart sank.

Michelle frowned, "What do you mean? Where is he?"

"Why don't you come up here and see for yourself?"

Michelle narrowed her eyes. "Do you think I'm stupid? What if you're just telling me what I want to hear?"

Heidenreich smiled, "You have a gun also, Michelle. And I'm outnumbered. What do you have to lose?"

Mark sighed, lowering his head. He felt his brother pick him up; leading him back to the chair he'd been tied down to. He was shoved onto the thing roughly, not bothering to fight back as he was tied down.

What more did he have to go for if Jeff was dead?

He wasn't paying attention…

And then the next thing he knew, his world was fading to black.

_-Six hours later-_

Mark lifted his head slightly, eyes opening and trying to focus.

He could make out a blurred figure in front of him and when his vision finally cleared, he found his breath hitching.

He couldn't believe who he was seeing.

Jeff…

The other male had his head down, knocked out. There was a small gash on his temple, a dried blood trail leading down to his chin. Heidenreich probably hit him across the head with his gun…

He was wearing what looked like Kane's shirt. The material was big enough to cover him up to his thighs, but nothing else. He was tied down so that his arms were pulled behind him, roped biting into his pale flesh.

Mark looked around.

Michelle and Kane were actually off guard. It looked as if sleep had caught up with them. They were both sleeping on the couch, Michelle with her arm over her eyes, gun tucked into her pelvic region and Kane was doubled over, gun no where in sight.

He could see Sting or Heidenreich, but he was sure they were watching…from somewhere…ready to hurt them if they did something.

"…Jeff," Mark whispered.

The younger male didn't respond.

Mark moved his foot, gently tapping Jeff's toe.

Still, nothing happened.

Mark frowned, hoping Jeff would open his eyes soon…

"Mark."

He almost jumped, but composed himself last second. He looked up, frowning when he saw the person above him. "What the hell do you want?"

"Just listen," Heidenreich whispered, bending down, keeping a wary eye on the couch, "Jeff knows already. It's a setup."

"What?" Mark asked, eyes narrowing.

"Hunter is right outside," Heidenreich whispered again, "He's dealt with Nash and Layla. He's got them arrested and he's got more police outside. I didn't tell Jeff much; all I said was that your daughter was safe and asked him that he'd play along."

"…And he listened to you?" Mark asked skeptically. Jeff wasn't stupid. He wouldn't go along with any plan without hearing full-blown details.

"..." Heidenreich sighed, "You're just going to have to trust me." He began to work at Mark's ties, "I need you to listen to the plan."

Fuck.

"Why's he bleeding then?" Mark murmured.

A heavy sigh was his answer, "Michelle did that after Kane hit you and you lost consciousness."

The first set of ropes was pulled off of him, landing on the ground.

Mark fought with himself for a while. How could he trust anyone that was a part of this plan?

"You took my daughter from her cousin's bed, John," Mark said softly, "And now you want me to believe she's safe?"

The cuffs were off, to Mark's surprise. He flexed his hands, staring down at the red rings that surrounded his wrists. He turned wide eyes back to Heidenreich.

Heidenreich sighed, "I had a feeling you'd be a little harder to convince…but please, she _is_ safe. I need to tell you the plan but I'm not going to be able to if you don't stop talking and start listening-"

They both looked over at Jeff in alarm when the younger man began to moan. They watched as Jeff raised his head, staring at them with slightly narrowed eyes.

"Jeff," Mark whispered, relived to see those emerald orbs.

Jeff stared at him and opened his mouth to talk…

And then he doubled over, vomiting onto the floor.

The sound of him retching caused Kane's head to shoot up. He looked over at Jeff, concern shining in his twisted features. He hurried over to the other male, staring him over.

"What is it?" Kane asked, looking to Mark, "What the hell did you do to him!"

He didn't seem to notice that Mark was now untied…

Mark sneered angrily, "Fuck you; I didn't do anything to him. I never would."

Kane opened his mouth to argue but stopped when he heard a small sob. Blinking, he turned his attention to Michelle, who was looking at the vomit on the floor like it was alive or something.

"…No…" she whispered, tears trailing down her face, "No." She looked around everywhere, "Time, time, what time is it?" and then, almost as if she remembered she had a phone, she reached for it, pulling it out.

"Almost seven…" she murmured, "In the morning…" she began to pull her hair, murmuring to herself, "Seven…morning…vomits…" she teared at her hair, "He has morning sickness!" she screamed, pointing a finger at Jeff.

_{I.V.V.}_

Jeff panted, spitting out the extra bile in his throat.

Morning sickness…

He was pregnant.

And he knew it also.

His body felt the same way it had back then…back when he was first carrying a child…

_-Flashback-_

"_Fuck," Jeff groaned, lifting himself away from the toilet. He leaned over the sink, brushing his teeth thoroughly. He bent over, spitting the paste out. Once he'd rinsed, he looked up, seeing his reflection in the mirror, as well as Mark's. _

"…_Gagged you too hard this morning?" _

_Jeff twitched, seeing the playful smirk on Mark's face. "Arrogant ass…" he trailed off, shaking his head. "My body feels different…"_

_Mark raised a brow at this, "Are you sick?"_

"_I don't know. Maybe." Jeff turned, stepping into Mark's welcoming arms._

"_We'll make an appointment to see the doctor soon," Mark told him gently, pressing his mouth to Jeff's temple._

_Jeff hummed in reply. _

_A few days went by with Jeff experiencing the same sickness in the morning. Not only that, but he was actually starting to eat a lot more breakfast foods. He wanted pancakes for dinner and eggs for lunch. _

_Jeff could feel a change in his body. He could __**feel**__ something. A presence. Like someone was always with him…at all times. But it wasn't a malevolent force…it was something beautiful. Something that made him feel happy._

_It was just beginning to get unnerving to Mark. Especially with the new mood swings Jeff was going through._

_The day of the appointment, the doctor didn't sugar-coat anything. _

_With his eye on the screen, looking at the image before him, hand on the device pressing down on Jeff's stomach, he very calmly said, "Jeffrey is pregnant."_

_The nineteen year old almost fainted from shock. _

_Mark actually swayed a little. _

_-End flashback-_

There was a problem now though…

This pregnancy happened fast. Whether it was because of years of him not having sex…or something else, Jeff felt a cold fear shake his nerves.

Either Mark…or Kane…

Could be the father of the new baby…

He was shocked out of his musings when Michelle screamed.

"It's not fair!" she yelled at Jeff, eyes wild. "How is it that _you_ can get pregnant _**twice**_but that me, a _**woman**_,__can't get pregnant at all!"

Everyone watched her nervously. She was waving that gun around as if it weren't heavy at all…or as if she didn't even notice she had it anymore.

"It's fucked up! You're fucked up, Jeff Hardy! You're a fucking freak," she ranted on and on, face going red, hair wild. "You're _not_ bringing another kid into this world when I can't do it myself! I won't let you!"

She raised the gun, pointing it at him.

Jeff's eyes widened in fear before he shut them tight.

Memories began to flood back into his head.

"_Come to daddy…"_

_Lucy stood on her shaky legs, the fifteen month old grinning widely as she tried to walk without any assistance. She took a bold step forewords._

_He was standing above her, holding her little hands. Slowly, he let go, emerald eyes shining with happiness as she waddled her way over to Mark, who was talking slightly in order to encourage her. _

"_That's it, princess…come to daddy…" Mark's eyes opened wide and his face lit up as Lucy made it to his arms, "That's my girl!" he said, scooping her up and kisses her nose. _

"_Ah, ah," he scolded, taking the spoon away from Lucy. She'd used it to hit Damien in the head with it. _

"_We don't hit," he said to her, watching the way her eyes stared at the spoon. _

_Oh, she wanted it back. But Jeff wasn't going to give it to her. _

_She whined, holding out her little hands for it. _

"_No, Lucinda," he said, his tone firm._

_Lucy began to sniffle._

"_Just give it to her," Mark said, grinning at his little girl, "It didn't hurt Damien."_

_He snorted, "You just want her to grow up beating boys in the head with spoons."_

"_Is that wrong?" Mark asked, smirking. He poked Lucy on the nose, who giggled happily._

_Emerald eyes rolled. _

_It was hard being the disciplinarian. _

_He crossed his arms, watching with narrowed eyes as Lucy ripped open the paper from the gift. _

_The four-year old paused. "Big present…but no daddy?"_

_He found himself sighing, "He sends his love, Lucy. He couldn't make it this year."_

_The four year old pouted before going back to ripping the paper. When she saw the blue whale, she squealed. _

_He smiled lightly. _

_At least Mark remembered her favorite color…_

"_What does In Vine, um…those words you said! What do they mean?" Her eyes caught his._

_Jeff forced a smile on his. "…They mean In Love, There is Truth."_

_She watched him for a few seconds before her eyes closed. She pulled her stuffed bear close to her. "Goodnight, momma."_

Love.

Jeff could feel it clearly as tears trailed down his face.

He was in extreme pain.

But he didn't get hit.

No.

He was in extreme pain…

Because Mark had thrown himself onto his lap, the bullet meant to enter _his _stomach and possibly kill his unborn baby…

Lodging itself into Mark's spine instead.

_**{I.V.V.}**_

_Can anyone tell that I have NO clue what the hell I'm doing? XD._

_That's how I roll. Find any holes? Fill them yourself._

_Epilogue is after this. _

_Stay tuned. _

_;D_

_Love on._


	11. Chapter 11

_Title: In Venere Veritas_

_Author: NeroAnne_

_Disclaimer: I don't own the following wrestlers. Do I wish? Oh yes. But do I own? Oh no. XD. I own Lucinda Larraine, that's all. The song, "In Venere Veritas" is by HIM._

_Summary: "In love, there is truth." They've been divorced for three years and want nothing to do with each other. They find themselves coming together when their daughter is kidnapped. Mark/Jeff, AU!_

_For: Slashdlite._

_{I.V.V.}_

"Idiot!" Jeff sobbed, his head resting against Mark's. "You fucking idiot," he cried, his tears slipping down his cheeks and landing on Mark's ashen face. "Why would you do that? Why?"

They ignored the pandemonium.

All around them, there was fighting going on. Once the sound of a bullet came from the house, Hunter, Cena and Randy moved in, and a fight began. Heidenreich had shot his own gun, a bullet piercing Michelle's arm, causing her to drop her gun and fall backwards, her wails ringing around the area.

Hunter and Cena quickly detained Kane, taking him to the ground while Cena cuffed him and kicked the gun he had towards Randy, who stood, aiming said gun at the monster. Heidenreich made his way towards Michelle, keeping his gun aimed at her.

Her sobs went unheard to Mark. All he was focusing on was the tears sliding down Jeff's face. "…Shut up, you're so ungrateful," he whispered half-heartedly, shuddering as he tried to keep himself conscious. "Y-you really think I-I was going to l-let a fucking _bullet_ h-hit you or m-my kid?" his speech was slurring, but he fought to keep awake.

Jeff sniffed, shaking his head as he looked into Mark's glazed eyes, "It could be Kane's kid," he whispered, voice breaking, "You just risked your life…for a child that may not even be yours…and your ex-husband."

Mark sighed, a small but content smile settling on his lips. "No m-matter what y-you say to m-me. That kid is m-mine. And so is L-Lucinda. And so a-are you."

"I've always been yours," Jeff whispered, trying hard to not choke on his words, "I never stopped loving you. I never will stop loving you. Please…don't leave me. Don't make me lose you a second time…please, Mark. I need you."

Mark smirked, his body shuddering harder, "Y-you're acting l-like I'm d-dying or s-something. It's j-just a fucking b-bullet. Y-you shut that f-fucking gorgeous m-mouth…and l-let me go t-to sleep for a w-while."

"Mark," Jeff whimpered, watching the male's eyes shut. "Mark…"

"I l-love you," Mark whispered.

Jeff's emerald eyes stared into his own eyes and Mark swallowed thickly.

"S-say it b-back," Mark pleaded, feeling his system begin to shut down.

"I love you, Mark. I love you."

And that was it.

Mark was out.

_{I.V.V.}_

_-Hospital; Several hours later-_

Jeff bit nervously at his nails, pacing around the hall. He gripped his hair, uttering a low groan of impatience.

"Jeff, you really shouldn't be walking around so much," Matt said gently, "You have some serious tearing and you're only going to make it worse if you walk around like this."

Cena and Randy were the only ones not around. They were working on getting Michelle, Kane, Layla, Nash and Sting a lot of jail time. They were actually gunning for a death sentence for Michelle, seeing as she tried to kill an unborn child along with her crime of devising a plan, going along with it, manipulating the others to help her, and assault with a deadly weapon.

"I'm fine," Jeff answered calmly, rubbing his hands together.

Shannon snorted. As the blonde passed him, he grabbed the man's hospital gown, using it as a handle to pull Jeff onto his lap.

Jeff landed with a grunt, sighing as Shannon's arms wrapped tightly around him.

"Lucy and Mark are already stuck here for a few days," Shannon murmured, "I don't want you getting bed-ridden also."

Jeff shook his head, eyes closing. "I just need to know if they're alright. I need them. They need me-"

"And that's why you need to calm down and not stress," Shannon whispered fiercely, "They'll need you to take care of them once they wake up."

Jeff didn't argue. He hung his head, feeling Shannon rub his back in soothing circles. He was just beginning to relax, when the doctor treating Mark and Lucy entered the waiting room, his face void of emotion.

Jeff nearly flew out of Shannon's lap as the doctor stopped in front of him. His sentences came out in a frenzy, causing the doctor to raise a dark colored brow.

"Is Mark alright? Will he be able to walk? Is he paralyzed? What about Lucy? Has she woken up yet? Is she afraid? Can I go see them?"

The doctor placed a gentle hand on Jeff's shoulder, causing him to stop talking, his mouth hanging open.

"Relax," the doctor said, smiling gently. "Mark will be fine."

Jeff could swear his heart stopped.

"The bullet caused some nerve damage…but it did not hit his spine like you assumed."

Jeff's eyes slipped closed, his head falling into his hands. He slowly sank back down onto Shannon's lap, who was grinning.

"That lucky son of a bitch," he chirped, arms re-wrapping around Jeff.

"It will, however, take him several weeks to walk again. He will be using a wheel-chair for the four two weeks and then after that, he'll require crutches. We expect him to make a full recovery."

Jeff licked his lips, staring up at the doctor. "And…and Lucinda?"

"Is awake and she wants her momma." The doctor said warmly. "Come. I'll lead you to her room."

Jeff followed him, heart ready to burst out of his chest. He could barely stop himself to screaming aloud, the joy in his heart becoming harder and harder to contain.

The doctor paused in front of a door, turning to smile at Jeff. "Try not to excite her too much. She shouldn't move around too fast or it could trigger another attack. She's got an oxygen mask on but you can take it off for a few minutes."

Jeff nodded mutely, still staring at the door. He felt the doctor give him a gentle push and he moved, opening the door to the room.

He let loose a tiny sob as her lime colored eyes immediately turned to him. There was a breathing mask over her mouth and nose, and her body looked smaller than usual, but that was probably because the hospital bed was so big.

Her little hands reached out to him, little whimpers escaping her throat, muffled by the oxygen mask. Her eyes were tearing, pleading for him to come to her.

"Lucinda," Jeff rushed over to her, touching her hands. He bowed his head, kissing the tiny hands repeatedly, tears sliding down his cheeks, "My baby, my angel, my world," he gently pulled the mask off of her face and pressed his mouth to her cheeks, eyebrows, nose and forehead, "Oh, my baby…I missed you so much."

"Momma," Lucy's fingers were clenching tightly in Jeff's hair, not wanting to let go, for fear of being taken away again, "I'm sorry I made Michelle mad at me, momma,"

Jeff had to hold in every curse word known to man as he gazed into his precious baby's petrified eyes, "Forget all about that, darling, forget it all. It doesn't matter, you're in my arms again, and that's all that matters right now."

"I love you, momma," Lucy whispered, her fingers sliding down to Jeff's collar so that she could pull his face in for a kiss on the cheek, "You're my momma. My only momma."

Jeff stroked her curls, shaking all over, "I love you too, Lucinda. I love you so much."

They were together for a while, Jeff moving onto the bed with her, holding her tight. They talked in hushed tones, clinging to each other.

"Where's daddy?" Lucy asked, curious lime eyes looking around.

"Daddy's been hurt, Lucy," Jeff answered quietly, his cheek resting on his daughter's curls, "But he'll be alright." He smiled, rubbing the small of her back. He would occasionally bring the mask up to her face so that she could breathe in some of the oxygen from the tank. "I'll take you to see him later."

"Promise?" She asked, her voice muffled by the mask.

"I promise, darling." He whispered into her hair.

-_Three hours later-_

He winced as his eyes began to open, trying to get himself used to the bright lights above him. His head turned, eyes focusing on something bright and yellow standing out against the white.

"…Hey," he rasped, the corners of his mouth tilting upwards as Jeff's features became clearer, "Thanks for letting me sleep for a few."

Jeff's response was a tired smile, his fingers reaching out to run along Mark's dark colored hair.

"What's the damage?" Mark asked, trying to sit up. He twitched when he noticed that he couldn't even move a little.

Jeff reached over, hitting the button at the side of the bed, operating it so that it contorted the bed up to a sitting position, allowing Mark to look around. He smiled, taking Mark's hand, "Wheel chair, two weeks. Crutches after."

Mark frowned, "Ugh…I'm a cripple."

Jeff shook his head, smiling playfully, "For three months, maybe. You're lucky…I thought the bullet hit your spine."

"I know you did, you big baby," Mark murmured, reaching his hand out to cup Jeff's cheek, "You were crying hard."

"You scared me."

"Forgive me?"

"I don't know..."

"Yes?"

"…Yes." Jeff ended their playful banter with a soft kiss to Mark's knuckles. "There's um…a very pretty girl outside that wants to see you."

"Oh yeah?" Mark knew who it was automatically, the sparkle in Jeff's eye catching his attention. "Well bring her in."

Jeff stood, making his way out the door.

Mark watched him go; admiring the way the hospital gown clung to his hips and ass. He smirked, '_Definitely keeping that.'_

He was waiting only a few minutes, when the door opened, revealing his blondes.

Jeff had Lucy balanced on his hip, her little body wrapped in a pink hospital gown with blue puppies, lime eyes flittering over the room before focusing on him.

"Daddy!" Her voice was high-pitched as Jeff walked over, gently placing her next to Mark on the bed.

"Careful," Jeff murmured to the girl, "Daddy's really hurt."

"Can I hug you, daddy?" Lucy asked, pout on her pretty face.

"You'd better hug me," Mark replied quietly, smiling as her little arms circled around his neck. She was gentle…not wanting to hurt him. It made him happy all the same. His daughter was safe and so was his…

"Momma tell you the good news yet?" Mark asked once Lucy let go of him. He felt her lips on his cheek before she pulled back, shaking her head, blonde curls flying all around.

"Thought it'd be fun for the both of us to tell her," Jeff smiled, watching Lucy nuzzle against Mark's shoulder.

"Thank you for waiting," Mark said softly, staring down at his little girl.

"What is it?" Lucy asked, curiosity eating at her. Jeff had been giving her little hints of what the news was, but she didn't really grasp onto the big picture yet. All she knew was that it was something that would take a while to get home.

"Your momma and I are going to be living together again," Mark said, smiling as he heard Jeff's sharp intake of breath. "That is…if he has it in his heart to take a sorry bastard like me back."

Jeff was smiling, but when Mark uttered the foreign word in front of their daughter, a miffed look crossed his face.

"What's a bastard?" Lucy asked innocently, causing Mark to smirk widely and open his mouth.

"Nothing, darling," Jeff spoke up, giving Mark a pointed look. He ran his tongue over his lips, "Why don't you finish telling Lucy the news."

"Right," Mark looked down at Lucy, who was beaming up at him. "Lucy…you're going to be a big sister."

Her eyes went wide. "…Baby? Momma gonna have a baby?"

Her happy wails were heard all over the hospital. After she had calmed down, she said something that caused both Jeff and Mark to falter.

"Now we can be a happy family, again!"

Mark sighed, his eyes moving down to Jeff's stomach.

Well…not yet. Not exactly.

_-Nine months later-_

He was twenty four when his five year old daughter was kidnapped.

He'd been divorced at twenty two.

At twenty five, he was getting ready to bring another child into this world with his ex-husband turned boyfriend, Mark.

Mark. Who'd been walking on his own for six months now. He had made a full recovery, as the doctor has said he would.

They celebrated Lucy's sixth birthday two months ago, it being one of the biggest she's ever had. Literally everyone who adored her was there. From Cena and Randy, to her grandparents from both sides of the family, even Adam had been invited.

Things turned out terrifically. Michelle and Kane had been sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole. Sting and Nash were sentenced to thirteen years and Heidenreich, because of the help he'd given to get Lucy back, would only have to be sent away for three years.

Now, Jeff was sitting up on the hospital bed, hands clenched tight against Matt and Shannon's hands.

It was very much like the first time Jeff had given birth. And just like last time, Mark was late.

"Why does he keep doing this to me?" Jeff grunted, toes curling and hands clenching tight.

"I was kinda thinking the same thing," Shannon gritted out, trying not to give into the pain. "Why's that huge freak always late? I mean, damn!"

"For your information, you little punk, I had to pick up Lucy from school," Mark came into the room, shoving Shannon out of the way, taking his place as Jeff's side. "She'll be inside right after it happens."

Jeff smiled, taking Mark's hand in his. "…Mark…"

"It's my kid, Jeff," Mark said seriously, "From the months we have to wait for a test…till the little brat's gone and married. It's my kid."

Jeff could feel his eyes moisten. Sighing, he prepared himself for what was about to happen.

"…She's beautiful," Jeff whispered, staring down in awe at their newest child.

The baby had a patch of bright red hair, and dark emerald eyes. Her thin mouth was formed into a pout as she slept, fists tightly clenched.

"She is," Mark replied, staring down at the girl. "…Her hair color…is my natural hair color."

Jeff smiled, watching Lucy's fingers come out to touch the baby's cheek. "Isn't she pretty, Lucy?"

"Pretty," Lucy replied, nodding. She leaned down, pressing a kiss to her new baby sister's cheek.

Mark held out his arms, gently taking the baby from Jeff. He walked around with her, staring down at her as if in a trance.

Jeff pulled Lucy into an embrace. "Do you know you're my sunshine?" he whispered to her, watching her smile.

"Of course I do…you tell me everyday." Lucy replied.

Jeff smiled, kissing her forehead. "I love you, Lucy."

"I love you too, mommy. And I love my baby sister." Lucy hugged Jeff tightly.

"We need a name for her," Mark spoke up, walking back towards his blondes, "She needs a good name."

Lucy fidgeted, a smile on her face.

"…Do you have a suggestion, baby?" Jeff asked.

"Um…" She grinned, "Heidi."

Both men blinked.

"For Heidenreich. He helped me lots…" she smiled, "I think he'd like for the baby to be named Heidi."

Jeff closed his eyes, smiling serenely.

"Heidi it is," Mark murmured, staring down at the newborn. "Happy Birthday, Heidi Katri Callaway-Hardy."

-_Several months later-_

"We have the results back," the little bald man said, holding up a vanilla envelope for the couple to see.

Mark glared at the man. He'd remembered the rough way he'd swiped the cotton swab in Heidi's mouth in order to get her DNA.

Mark didn't like him.

Jeff was sitting next him, and Lucy was playing with Heidi, using the toys the nurses had given them to entertain her baby sister.

"In the case of Heidi…"

Mark leaned close to Jeff, "Fuck, it feels as if I'm on that paternity show…the one you and Lucy just love watching."

Jeff chuckled, shaking his head.

"Mark…you are the father."

Lucy beamed when she heard the results, even if she didn't quite understand why the process was had.

"Now we're a happy family?" she asked as they put her and Heidi into their car seats.

"Yes, Lucy," Mark said gently, staring at his daughter using the rear-view mirror. "Now we're a happy family."

Jeff fiddled with the radio, looking for something upbeat to listen to.

"…_inside, let the fire burn you alive and sing, baby sing…there are wounds that are not meant to heal at all-"_

Jeff turned the channel, smiling to himself.

In love…there _was_ truth.

_**{I.V.V.}**_

_Yeah. I know I suck ASS at endings. _

_I hate them._

_But I'm content. If YOU are not, I'm sorry, but I wrote this fic for a specific person and I just hope __**she**__ likes it. _

_Thank you for all the reviews, favorites, alerts. Your appreciation means everything. _

_Love on._


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